Final Distance
by Crimson Eyed Dragon
Summary: AU YAOI COWRITTEN WITH PYSCHE Atemu and Yami are twin foreign exchange students to the States. There they meet another set of twins, Seth and Seto, and turn the Kaibas’ lives upside down ABANDONED See Profile
1. Chapter 1

Title: Final Distance  
Authors: Pysche and Dragon  
Pairings: Seth/Atemu and Seto/Yami (maybe a few others)  
Rating: R  
Disclaimer: We do not own YGO or anything else but the plot.  
Warnings: Just be prepared for anything lol with us two writing there is no telling what could happen.  
Summary: Atemu and Yami are twin foreign exchange students to the States. There they meet another set of twins, Seth and Seto, and turn the Kaibas' lives upside down

**Chapter 1**

The hot Atlanta heat smothered everyone, causing them to seek refuge under any available shade or air-conditioned building they could find. New and old students alike walked around in a hazy daze as if the muggy southern heat had zapped all the strength from them.

Sharp azure eyes narrowed against the harsh sun, silently scrutinizing every person that came into his field of vision. He shivered slightly as a small breeze sent a few drops of moisture from the massive art-student-designed fountain behind him and his twin brother. Absentmindedly, he scooted a bit further away on the fountain's concrete ledge, grimacing at the sound of blue jeans scratching against the rough surface.

Another year had begun and he and his twin, Seto, found themselves right back where they had spent many a day just sitting around looking at the sea of students who walked by. It was a game of theirs – to see if they could tell how rich a person was by looking at their clothes or the way they presented themselves. As cold as it may seem, it worked wonders as a way to keep their minds off of school stress; that and the Kaiba twins were known to be cold anyway so why not live up to it?

If there was one thing that irritated them beyond anything it was people trying to get on their good side, trying to buddy up with them, trying to even talk to them. Seth and Seto only associated with each other. No one else deserved their attention; no one was good enough to be with them or was even in their league.

But luckily this year, they were sophomores and everyone from last year would know to leave them alone all they had to do was train the new ones now.

Another good thing about being here for the second year was they didn't have to live in those cramped dorm rooms. They now had a spacious two-bedroom apartment in the city, designed and furnished to fit their tastes. The wonders of being rich and coming from a well-to-do family, the benefits were great.

A small bead of sweat trailed down Seth's back causing his to grab the front of his white Hugo Boss t-shirt and fan it, letting the makeshift breeze cool him some. He was just about to close his eyes and try to think cooling thoughts when a flash of color caused him to look sharply to the left near the entrance to the university.

Azure eyes went wide as he took in the form of a slim male standing on the sidewalk looking around as if trying to find someone. Seth's eyes trailed up the other's body starting with the black cowboy boots, up the tight blue jeans that hugged what looked like well-toned legs, to the firm backside, slim waist, to the nicely developed chest that was covered in a deep blood red t-shirt. Unable to see the male's face yet, he looked at the strange ebony-tipped hair with crimson spikes.

Curious.

Intrigued, he quickly elbowed his slightly younger brother in the side.

"Ow! What the fuck Seth?"

Rolling his eyes, Seth jerked his head in the direction of his new discovery. "What do you make of that one?"

With a growl, Seto leaned forward, peering around his older twin, and raised an eyebrow. "The freaky looking punk over there with the strange hair?" A nod in response. "Poor; at best middle class. A waste of time." He said then turned back to look at the book he had been looking at earlier before he got interrupted.

With a frown, Seth looked back at the male and almost gasped when he saw that the male in question was now looking straight at him with the most unusual narrowed crimson eyes. Blonde bangs gently framed the bronzed handsome face and those eyes… were not only beautiful, but deadly, if that heated glare sent his way was any indication.

Their gazes were locked in a strange battle before the stranger did something that Seth had never seen thrown his way before. The male shot him a bird and then turned around and walked away. A dark eyebrow rose. No one had ever dared to do that to him before.

Interesting.

"Wonder where he's from?" Seth mumbled to himself as he continued to stare at the now vacant space.

"Who knows, who cares." Backing away his book, Seto stood up and grabbed his dark blue backpack and slung it up on his shoulder. "Come on lets go. It's hot as hell and classes are about to start."

With a nod of his head, Seth grabbed his own backpack and followed his brother into the building.

* * *

Seto sank back into his seat, feet skidding a little on the carpet as he stretched. These classes never got any more interesting. If there weren't so much money to be made in business he would change his major to something a little more stimulating. The blue-eyed male frowned a bit and took a sip of his Pepsi bottle before turning his attention back to the crisply dressed professor at the front of the front of the room and beginning to scribble a few notes in his notebook. Maybe the caffeine would help him pay attention. 

Business… the classes were boring, that was true, and all the same – listening to someone lecture for hours while he sat in desks of varying degrees of discomfort and took notes. Dull, to say the least, yet Seto knew that was what he wanted to do. There was an inexplicable thrill in business, in the feeling of power that came from controlling a company, in creating and designing a product that the public couldn't live without, once his marketing team convinced them of it, of course.

It was what his father did, not that that encouraged Seto to follow in the old man's footsteps. He and Seth both hated the bastard; he was an intolerant old snob who had raised the twins to be the antisocial jerks they were today, though in all fairness Seto was comfortable with that icy persona. It made things a lot easier.

Seth, on the other hand… Sometimes Seto got the feeling that his brother would change, if he had the right initiative. The slightly older twin worried Seto a bit sometimes; for example, his interest in that poorly-dressed punk by the fountain that morning. Seth had seemed to see something in him; at least he had made more of an effort to point him out to Seto than he normally would have. Though, the blue-eyed business student had to admit, that punk was sexy. And it was funny as hell when he flipped off his brother.

Sexy, yes, but not Seto's type. If anyone actually was.

* * *

"Okay students, you've got your syllabuses, so I don't want anyone telling me they didn't know a project was due. I don't take late assignments. There's a list of all the supplies you'll need for the course on the back of the syllabus, and I expect you all to have them when we meet again on Wednesday, and we'll spend the next class period doing some hands-on work. I trust you're all eager to get started painting." 

A murmur of assent rose from the class, including a smattering of a few polite chuckles. Yami smiled faintly, brushing the blonde bangs from his face as they fell in his eyes for the hundredth time that morning, blocking his view of the professor. "Also," the man continued, tugging uncomfortably on his bowtie, "this is probably the only time during the entire course we'll be using these desks. The rest of the time you'll be at your easels. This won't be a lecture course." More smiles appeared among the students, and the professor grinned in return. "Now, so that the day won't be completely wasted, let's spend the rest of the class in discussion. Why don't you move the desks into a circle?"

Yami raised an eyebrow, his deep crimson eyes widening in surprise. This was the first class of his college career, and he hadn't been sure what to expect, but whatever it was this wasn't it. He and his twin brother Atemu had recently moved here from Costa Rica and enrolled as freshmen here at Emory. They were so happy to be accepted, since the school had a great reputation, plus the added excitement of living in the States. Yami didn't even mind being far from home, since he was with his brother. Though he supposed the homesickness hadn't had time to sink in yet.

At any rate, he had expected the school to be enormous and unfriendly, with difficult courses taught by aloof, unapproachable professors; not this open young man with an ugly bowtie who smiled at them and urged them to get to know each other. "So," the professor said once the squeaking of desks across the tile floor had subsided and the students had settled in their seats once more, "why don't you all tell me who is your favorite artist and why? What is it about their work that makes them good?"

A girl with long brown hair pulled back into a ponytail raised her hand shyly, and the professor nodded at her. "Well, this might be a predictable answer," she began hesitantly, "but Picasso is my favorite artist. He just has so much _emotion;_ it feels really honest…"

As the girl continued, a few students nodding along as she spoke, Yami relaxed into his seat and smiled faintly once more. No, it hadn't been what he expected; but it was nice.

* * *

Atemu sighed as he flopped down into one of the chairs at the double-seated table and dragged his notebook and pen out of his book bag. Placing his elbow on the cool surface, he rested his chin in the palm of his hand and glanced around the room. 

It wasn't anything special really, nothing like the colleges he had seen in the few American movies he and his brother had watched. Come to think of it, America wasn't anything like he expected. He scrunched his nose. For one thing, the air stunk. It was nothing like the pure, cleansing smell of his home. And around here, there was nothing but building after building. Where were the land, trees, and wildlife?

He sighed, realizing he missed his home more than he thought he would. It wasn't that he missed his parents, hell they were never really home to begin with. But this place, Atlanta, was… suffocating. Absentmindedly, he began to tap his pen against the tabletop and closed his eyes.

"That's annoying as hell ya know."

Atemu opened his eyes and turned to look at the person who had spoken. He raised any eyebrow. Well that was interesting…it wasn't every day you saw a young man with long white hair. Of course it wasn't as if his hair was an everyday occurrence either.

"Hope you don't mind me sitting here. And if you do, I don't give a damn."

Atemu snorted, stopped the supposedly annoying tapping of his pen and turned to look the cocky brown-eyed stranger in the eyes. "And your name would be?"

"Bakura…what's your name?"

"Atemu."

"Hey, you're not from around here are you?"

"Wow, I didn't realize I was lucky enough to be sitting beside the local genius. Now I know why I came to this country."

"Local genius? No, that title belongs to two people, one of whom is currently staring at you."

"Huh?" Atemu turned around and looked in the direction those narrowed chocolate eyes were looking to see familiar azure before he turned back towards his table partner. "Who the hell is that anyway? I caught him staring at me earlier outside."

"That would be Seth 'playboy' Kaiba. His father owns BP Global. He and his twin think they are 'The Shit'."

Atemu nodded his head. He had no idea what a 'playboy' was but he could gather enough to know that he was trouble. Great, just what he needed.

"So where are you from anyways?"

"Heredia, Costa Rica."

"Damn you're a long way from home. Explains the accent though."

"Yeah."

"You speak pretty good English."

"Both English and Spanish are spoken in Costa Rica." He shrugged his shoulders and then he felt something. "Is he looking at me again?" he asked with a growl.

Bakura leaned around Atemu and nodded his head. "Yeah, pretty hard too. What the hell did you do to him? The Kaibas usually ignore anyone not in their league."

"This." And with that he turned around and flipped the older brother off again, sending Bakura into a fit of laughter at Seth's narrowed eyes.

"I'm going to like you Atemu." He paused, looking thoughtful for a moment, before he spoke again. "There's a party going on tonight. Why don't you come with me? I could introduce you to some of the non-staring types."

"An American party? I'd like to but I'm not going to going to leave my brother alone."

"You got a brother?"

"Yeah, we're twins."

"Cool, well then invite him too. The more the merrier."

"OK then." Oh Yami was going to freak.

"Welcome to Cultural Anthropology and our first lesson in Introduction to Human Evolution. Today we begin…."


	2. Chapter 2

Dragon: **To Mic:** In American colleges, if you are studying your major it doesn't matter the age or the year. So Seth and Atemu could be in the same class even if one is a freshman and the other is a sophomore.

**To Nachzes Black-rider:** Your response is in my LJ since it was too long to post here. The link is in my bio.

**NOTICE:** ANother pairing in this chapter of **BakuraxAtemu.** There was a lemon at the end of this chapter but since it bordered on NC-17 I took it out and posted it on AFF under the name of ChaosDragon61 or it will be posted at my Yahoo group Kokoro no Yami.

* * *

**Chapter 2**

Pale bare feet stepped lightly onto the cobalt and white-checkered tile that lined the bathroom floor. Warm inviting steam rolled out of the recently ended shower, fixing a thin layer of condensation on the oversized mirror obscuring the view of the lone occupant. Securing the pristine white terrycloth towel around his waist, Seto made his way over to the sink to grab some Q-tips from under the counter.

Once he had finished he scowled at the fog that had yet to leave the mirror completely, having no patience even for something so stupid as that. Taking the towel off from around his waist, he brought it up to the mirror and began to wipe it off and smirked when he saw his reflection finally.

"Damn it! Why that fucking son of a bitch….how dare….rip that bastard's… GAH!"

Seto looked up at the ceiling and blew out a long breath before he wrapped the towel back around him and walked out of the bathroom and into the hallway to see his older twin storming around their shared apartment. He watched with a smirk on his face as Seth threw his book bag rather forcefully onto the floor.

"Cocky bastard just who the hell does he think he is? Does he not know… the nerve of him! Acting like he….who the fuck is he?"

"You know," Seto began as he leaned against the doorframe, "If you talked in complete sentences I might know what you are talking about."

Seth whirled around and glared at his younger, smug-looking brother. "That fucking punk is who I'm talking about. Found out he's in my anthropology class and he fucking flipped me off again, in class, where everyone saw and to make it worse he seems to be buddy-buddy with that white-haired asshole whatever his name is."

"Ah." Seto pushed himself off the wall and walked back into his room, not really giving a damn about some punk that seemed to be getting the better of his brother.

"What? No comment, no smartass comeback?" Seth asked as he followed his brother back into Seto's room.

"Nope. I personally don't give a damn if some _nobody_ is pissing you off. You're a Kaiba, so act like it."

Seth snorted as he crossed his arms, glaring slightly at Seto as the other one began to look through his closet. "Is that your answer for everything? Act like a Kaiba, be a Kaiba?"

"Of course." Seto stepped back and laid the selected garments on to the dark blue comforter-lined bed. "We're better than every one else and you'll do good to remember that."

"Whatever you say, little brother."

Seto growled as he heard Seth walk out in his room and into his, slamming the door behind him. Seth and he had never been openly close. Something that his father took pride in was the fact that it was because of him that they were this way. However, last year the two had relied on each other more than usual; but still only choosing to show how they felt by watching each other's back. But this year, Seth seemed to be needing, wanting something more from him. What that was, he had no idea. And the strange thing was that worried him.

But he wouldn't concern himself with that right now. There was a party tonight and he knew there would be a generous amount of alcohol there. Maybe that would help fix whatever was going on with his twin. And if it didn't, well then they could pick a good fight. Knocking someone's face in always made them feel better.

Hopefully that little punk would be there and he could teach him not to mess with his brother.

* * *

"Mocoso?"

"In the bathroom Atemu."

Placing his bag on the floor beside his bed, Atemu walked over to the closed door and crossed his arms. "What are you doing?"

"Don't make me answer that." The muffled reply came.

"Oh, ok never mind then. When you come out I want to talk to you."

"About what?"

"I don't feel like talking to a door, Mocoso."

"Alright, alright. I'll be done in a minute."

Nodding his head, even though the other couldn't see it, Atemu walked over to his brother's bed and sat down, crossing his legs under him. He was glad the first day of college was over. It had been interesting to say the least. But he had to smile when he though of his possible new friend he had met.

Bakura seemed to be a lot like him and it was nice to know that it wouldn't be just him and his brother in this strange place. As much as he loved Yami, he needed a few friends of his own.

Back home, Yami and he had shared everything, since basically they were on their own. Being the children of two busy volcanologists, they rarely got to see their mother and father; instead, they spent most of their time with nannies. And, on the rare occasions they got to travel with their parents, they were left at the local villages with various babysitters. They had had to grow up too fast; but at least that meant they were ready to be on their own now.

The sound of flushing came from the bathroom and Yami exited a few moments later, wiping his hands on his worn jeans. "Feel better?" Atemu asked, grinning, and Yami rolled his eyes.

"Shut up." The younger twin pulled out his desk chair and sat back, stretching lazily. "Man, I'm tired. First day of classes took a lot out of me."

"Well, I hope you're not too tired; I got us invited to a party tonight and I think we should go."

"Party, huh? Sounds okay to me. I haven't really had a chance to get to know anyone yet. You?"

"Yeah there's this one guy, Bakura, that I talked to today. He's the one who invited us to the party. But that's all, I guess, unless you count that asshole Kaiba who kept staring at me. I had to flip him off – twice – to make him quit trying to bore a hole in the back of my head."

Yami snickered. "Sounds to me like he was checking you out, stupid. Why'd you flip him off? Ugly? Bad taste in clothes?"

"Yami you are such a fag." Atemu crossed his arms and glared at his slightly younger brother, who was leaning back in his chair, scratching his head complacently.

"And you aren't?"

"That's beside the point."

"Yeah well…" A knock sounded at the door and Yami rose to answer it, not pausing in his conversation with his brother. "How do you know his name? Did you go talk to him and demand to know why he dared to look at you?"

"Shut up. Apparently everyone knows them; they're a couple of rich bastards who think they're better than the rest of the world because of their money. Bakura said…"

Atemu trailed off as Yami opened the door and revealed a skinny, pale young man with long white hair leaning against the doorpost. He was dressed in black; black jeans and boots, with a short-sleeve black button-up shirt open to reveal a ribbed white wifebeater underneath. "Oh, hey Bakura," Atemu said, in slight surprise.

The white-haired male glanced briefly at Atemu before letting his eyes travel over Yami, taking in the tight worn jeans and blood-red tank top that matched the younger twin's scarlet eyes. Bakura's lips curled up in a smirk. "Man, Atemu. Do you ever get jealous that your brother's the hot twin?"

Yami and Atemu gave identical eye-rolls. "Too hot for you," they said simultaneously. They glared at each other. "I hate when you do that!" they said together, then turned and glared at Bakura, who was snickering snidely. "What's so funny?" they demanded. "Argh! Stop it!"

Bakura interrupted their synchronized argument. "As funny as this twin mind-link thing is, I'm getting tired of standing in the hall. Aren't you going to invite me in?"

"Sorry Bakura. Come on in. This is my brother, Yami," Atemu apologized from his spot on Yami's bed.

"Nice to meet you," Yami said flatly before turning to go back to his chair, still glaring at Atemu. He hadn't taken two steps before he squawked in surprise, whirling back around to face a grinning Bakura. "You grabbed my ass! Stop laughing Atemu!"

The younger twin shouted at his brother, who was curled up on the bed, clutching his stomach in helpless laughter; and Bakura merely closed the door behind him and plopped onto Atemu's bed, admiring his very nice view of Yami's very nice rear.

When the twins calmed down – or rather, Yami quit yelling and Atemu quit laughing – the white-haired male smirked wickedly and patted the mattress beside him. "Hey Yami, why don't you come sit by me?"

Yami snorted. "Why don't I not? Sorry, but I'm a little out of your league. Try Atemu, he dated a homeless guy once."

"HEY! I thought he was a tourist!"

"Sure you did."

"Hmph. So Bakura, what are you doing here?" Atemu turned to his white-haired friend, changing the subject.

Bakura shrugged. "I was bored, so I looked your room number up in the directory. Figured I'd hang out here until the party."

"Oh, okay. Is that what you're wearing?"

"Yup." He turned his gaze back to Yami, looking him up and down. "You're not wearing _that_, are you, Yami?"

The younger twin raised an eyebrow. "Something wrong with it?"

"Nah. Just hoping I'd get a chance to watch you change."

Yami snorted. "Keep hoping… ATEMU, WILL YOU STOP LAUGHING!"

* * *

Azure and sapphire eyes in their usual narrowed look, watched the various students mingle around the large room of the Sigma Chi fraternity house. Perched on two of the few stools lined up at a makeshift bar, Seth rested his hand with his bottled beer on top of his khaki covered thigh.

Bracing one of his flip-flop covered feet on the lowest bar of the stool, he unconsciously mimicked his brother as he watched couples of various sorts walk up and down the stairs. Somewhere in another section of the lower level of the house he could make out the song_ Don't Phunk with my Heart by Black Eyed Peas _causing him to snort at their choice of music.

Idly, he glanced over at his brother and noticed him staring off towards the area where several had gathered to dance. He followed Seto's gaze.

"Something caught your eye?" he asked when he couldn't pinpoint that glare's target.

"Blondie over there."

"Which blonde would that be? Half the girls here have that color hair."

Seto snorted. "The male blonde, dumbass. The one dressed in khaki colored leather cargo pants and a white sleeveless hoodie."

"Ah, the one that looked like he just robbed Fort Knox with all the gold he's wearing?"

"Yeah that one."

"What about him?"

"Clearly gay, trying way too hard, and he looks like a weird rapper wannabe with all that gold. He obviously bought all of it at one of those kiosk venders in the middle of the mall."

"Hmm, Snoop Dog in leather?"

Seth took another sip of his beer, sapphire eyes leaving the one they had been talking about to take another look around for their next victim when began to hear a beat of music that he had never heard before. He cocked an eyebrow and looked at his brother who shrugged his shoulders in response. Both of them were ready to ignore it until they heard several catcalls coming from the dance area.

Two sets of eyes looked over to see a rather large crowd had gathered, effectively blocking their view. Without a spoken word both of them rose in a fluid movement and went to investigate. The Kaibas were never left out of the loop.

* * *

Bakura had a rather smug smirk on his face as he walked between Atemu and Yami towards the fraternity house. With one arm wrapped around each of their waists he guided the twins. Chocolate eyes stole a glance at his companion on his right, appreciating Atemu's choice in clothes, as he licked his lips.

The darker crimson-eyed twin was wearing tight black leather pants with an intricate embroidered design of light silver chains snaking up his right leg, wrapping tightly around his calf and thigh, between the junction of his hip, around the back of his pants to drape over his backside, over his other hip, only to 'disappear' inside the fly. And instead of a belt, Atemu had added a real chain that hooked in the middle leaving the excess to hang over his crotch.

His top was an off-white collarless long-sleeved gauze shirt that hung slightly off his shoulder with the top four buttons left undone, leaving his toned bronze chest open for all eyes to feast upon the tantalizing flesh. Around his neck was a thin silver chain necklace with a silver cat claw charm.

Bakura looked over at the other twin. Yami was also wearing tight black leather pants, but instead of a chain the younger twin's pants sported a deep blood red vine of thorns that followed the same pattern as Atemu's. His shirt was a mesh sleeveless shirt that matched the color of the embroidered thorns.

Needless to say, Bakura knew he had the two sexiest males around, and he was loving every minute of it.

"You can wipe that smug look off your face."

Bakura paused in his steps, causing the twins to do the same since his arms were still around their waists, and gave Atemu his most innocent expression. "Well can you blame me? I have the two fucking hottest dates around!"

"We are not your dates." Yami stated as they began to walk again.

"And we are not into threesomes with each other. That's just nasty."

Bakura looked over to Atemu with a small pout on his lips, "That's a shame my sexy little Spanish bitch," he smirked at the growl he received, "cause that would be hotter than hell to watch." And with that he lowered his hands and grabbed both their asses at the same time.

"BAKURA!" Yami twisted out of his reach causing the white haired male to chuckle and look at him, totally forgetting about the other twin he accosted until a hard fist collided with his chest.

"Ow what the fuck was that for Atemu?" he rubbed the sore spot as he glared at the smirking twin. That little sucker was tougher than he looked.

"It wouldn't have hurt if Yami had hit you, he hits like a girl."

Bakura snickered as Yami walked over to his chuckling brother and slapped him upside the head before crossing his arms and giving Atemu a glare.

"See? Hits like a girl."

Bakura walked over to the twins and placed his arms on their shoulders this time, turning them around and started walking again. "Alright guys and girls," he ducked his head when Yami tried to smack him, "Lets get on to this party."

* * *

A beer and several introductions later, Bakura led Yami and Atemu to the dancing area. He watched the two brothers as they talked in rapid Spanish to each other while pointing to various people that partnered up together. When they finally seemed to pause just enough to breathe, Bakura tapped Atemu on the shoulder.

"You dance?"

Atemu looked at his brother who was still drinking his beer, "Umm, yes but not quite like Americans it seems. The clubs back at home only really play Latin music."

Bakura looked thoughtful for a moment. "So if I find you some music you are used to y'all will dance?"

Yami and Atemu looked at each other, shrugged and replied together; "Sure."

"Ok then, stand right here."

Both sets of crimson eyes watched as the white haired male walked over to the stereo system and began flipping through various CDs. Finally he pulled one out and waved it at the curious twins before he replaced the other CD with the one he had just found and adjusted the volume making louder than it was before. Rubbing his hands together in excitement, he made his way back to Atemu and Yami.

Soon _Shakira's La Tortura_ began to fill the house with its Latin beat, causing the brothers to grin at each other before they grabbed Bakura and dragged him out onto the 'dance floor'.

Positioning himself in front of Bakura, Atemu placed one of his hands on the male's hip while Yami came up from behind and put his hand on Bakura's other hip. Crimson eyes seemed to darken as they fell right into the rhythm of the music, Bakura easily matching them. Bodies barely touching, black leather against jean, causing Bakura to unconsciously groan at the feeling.

Chocolate eyes glanced at the one behind him to see Yami's eyes closed, going on the feel of the music alone. He growled when he felt Atemu's groin brush against his own, not realizing the effects of their little dance until that moment.

He looked back to Atemu to see smoldering crimson locked on him. He licked his lips as he watched the way Atemu's hips swayed, at times brushing up against him sending little sparks throughout his body. He might have teased the one before him about Yami being the sexier one, but in all truth, even if they looked almost identical, there was something almost darker, sexier, more passionate about Atemu that set him on fire in a purely sexual way that Yami didn't.

Bakura threw his head back on to Yami's shoulder as Atemu ground into him hard causing a moan to escape both their lips. In the back of his mind he heard several catcalls, hoots, whistles and he opened his eyes taking in the gathering crowd they had attracted. He scanned the onlookers, smirking at a few of his friends that were giving him jealous looks until he saw two sets of narrowed blue eyes sending him heated glares.

With a wicked grin on his face, he turned back to Atemu, grabbed the extra length of chain that hung down, fingers brushing the other's hardened arousal, causing Atemu to gasp in pleasure, and pulled the bronzed male flush against his body. He lowered his head slightly, lips against the delicate ear.

"Kura?" Atemu asked in a hazy daze, hips never faltering in their movements even as the song started to end.

"Shh," he gave in to the temptation and ran his tongue along the outer shell. "Your rich bastard of a 'boyfriend' is watching. Lets give him a show."

Atemu smirked as Bakura moved so their lips brushed against each other lightly at first till the white haired male ran his tongue along a soft full bottom lip waiting for it to open before he plunged in and openly devoured the slightly smaller male.

Yami opened his eyes as the song ended and raised an eyebrow at the sight before him. He smirked and shook his head. He should have figured something like this would have happened. Atemu always attracted both men and women to him in ways no one else could. And Bakura was sexy, just not Yami's type. Quietly he walked away from the still-lip-locked pair and went off to get himself another beer.

He needed to kill time if that kiss was any indication of how the night was going to end.

* * *

Seto let out a low whistle as that white-haired smartass – whatever his name was, Seto hadn't bothered to remember it – shoved his tongue down his partner's throat. He elbowed his brother in the side. "Hey, isn't that that punk who flipped you off this morning?"

Seth just gaped, shaking his head in disbelief. "I… I think so. Did you see the other one? There's _two_ of them!"

"So? There are two of us. It happens," the other responded dryly.

Seth merely nodded vaguely, his sapphire eyes threatening to bulge out of their sockets. "They were… Bakura is… That stupid…" The older twin growled, bulging blue eyes narrowing to angry slits as he continued to openly stare at the pair in the middle of the dance floor, who had given up on dancing altogether and seemed to be focused simply on sucking the air from each other's lungs.

The crowd around them dispersed, dancing, drinking, and generally minding their own business, all except for Seth, who kept his angry glare fixed on the groping pair, and Seto, who watched his brother with mild interest and growing amusement. "That's okay, Seth, it's not obvious that you're jealous or anything."

Seth grunted.

"The spiky-haired punk _is_ sexy, I'll give you that. Bit of an attitude problem, though. Not really my type."

The other grunted again. He was still staring at Atemu.

"So… I suppose you're saying you have a fetish for bad-tempered, lower-class freshmen who make your life miserable?"

Seth didn't even grunt that time. He clearly hadn't heard a word Seto had said, making it much less fun to tease him. So, abandoning his brother to stare like an idiot at his latest freakish obsession, the younger twin wandered off through the throng of people to get himself another drink.

However, to his surprise, when the brunet reached the drink table he noticed a familiar-looking spiky, tri-colored head standing there, pouring himself a cup of the spiked punch. Seto gave him a quick once-over, automatically reverting to his and Seth's "judging" game. Mesh shirt that showed off his slender torso, ungodly tight leather pants clinging to his rear… This one was as sexy as the other spiky-haired punk, and with just as weird a fashion sense.

"What's with all the freshmen and leather this year?" Seto mused aloud, remembering the blonde with the leather cargo pants earlier. With the pounding music blaring in his ears, Seto didn't expect anyone to hear his muttered comment, but to his mild surprise the smaller male turned questioningly.

"¿Perdón?"

"Huh?"

"Oh, sorry," the other sighed, smiling ruefully. "Reflex. Did you say something to me?"

"You're not from around here." The flat statement fell from Seto's lips before he could realize how idiotic it sounded. Of course the guy wasn't from Atlanta, he'd just spoken to him in Spanish, and on top of that he had a strange, rather throaty accent. But Seto couldn't help it; the other had taken him by surprise. He and his twin were foreign. That explained so much; the strange clothes, the wild hair, the disrespectful attitude… though the person in front of him seemed much more polite than his brother.

Seto looked back at him, meeting slightly confused crimson eyes. The other was still smiling. "I'm from Costa Rica. My twin brother and I just started school here."

"I see. What's your name?"

"Yami, Yami Mutou."

"I'm…"

"HEY! You look just like that gay guy kissing that other gay guy!"

A loud, obnoxious voice cut through the air, interrupting Seto, and he turned to see the violet-eyed blonde he'd been making fun of earlier run full speed towards him and latch himself onto Yami, squeezing his shoulders. "Oh my god, you're twins! That's so great! I love twins!"

"Who the hell are you?" Seto snapped, glaring at the crazy blonde.

"I'm Malik, nice to meet you my cute little twin friend!" he chirped, grinning widely at Yami as he loosely massaged the crimson-eyed male's shoulders and ignored Seto. "What's your name?"

"Er… I'm Yami, and this is…" he paused, glancing at the brunet, who scowled.

"Seto Kaiba."

Yami's eyes widened. "You're Kaiba?" he gasped.

"One of them."

"But… you're not ugly!"

Seto raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

"You were the one who was checking out my brother!"

"Oooo," Malik breathed, grinning wider. "Conflict."

The blue-eyed male shot a glare at Malik before turning his attention back to Yami. "No, that was my brother Seth. Your brother certainly ticked him off though; he came home today throwing an enormous tantrum about how 'some punk had the nerve to flip him off.'"

Yami laughed cheerfully and Seto allowed himself a smirk before Malik, growing bored with the conversation, poked his new "friend" harshly in the side. "OW!"

"Hey Yami, you know your brother and that other guy are still going at it in the middle of the floor? It'd be indecent if it weren't so hot."

"They're _still_ making out?" The spiky-haired teen sighed. "I'd better avoid the dorm tonight, then."

"Sexiled, huh? Don't worry, you can stay with me! I have a futon!" The over-exuberant blonde latched onto Yami's arm and dragged him away, chattering nonsense about how great it was that Yami was a twin and his relationship with his own sister, Isis.

When they had almost disappeared from view, the crimson-eyed male looked back over his shoulder and smiled, waving goodbye to the brunet, and Seto nodded curtly in return, smirking a little as Yami's final comment drifted back in his direction.

"Hey Malik? What does 'sexiled' mean?"

* * *

Dragon and Pysche: Thank you for all the reviews! It helped us get this chapter out faster. Remember, the lemon is at AFF under ChaosDragon61 


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

The Saturday morning sun began to peek above the skyscraper-lined horizon as Seto leaned back against his lounge chair and propped his bare feet on the wrought iron railing, placing his coffee mug on the small table beside him. Sapphire eyes watched lazily as the pinks, oranges, and purples of the rising sun began to disappear and were replaced with the beautiful clear blue of the southern sky.

It wasn't anything strange for him, or any other Kaiba for that matter, to be up so early in the morning even on a weekend. That stupid moronic saying, "the early bird catches the worm," had been driven hard into them from the very beginning by their bastard of a father and, as they say, old habits die hard.

Usually Seth would be out here too, enjoying a few moments of peace and relaxation, but his brother was currently holed up in his room and had been since they returned home last night – or early this morning, rather.

He snorted. Seth could be such a dork sometimes. What the hell happened to his emotionless, holier than thou brother? They used to be so much alike that it wasn't even funny. The only thing that had really been a difference between them was the fact that Seth had been born with a natural tan and Seto had remained pale unless he spent hours out in the sun – which he didn't, since that was a pointless waste of time and energy.

But somewhere over time, Seth had slowly begun to wear his heart on his sleeve, and it was annoying as hell.

Take last night for example. Never before would his older twin so openly show that he was jealous, obsessed, angered or whatever the hell it was, like he did when he saw that punk kissing that other guy. Shit, normally, he wouldn't have even acknowledged someone lower than them.

Speaking of punks, Seto turned his thoughts to the other twin, Yami Mutou, who he had had a brief encounter with. It seemed to him, in that short amount of time, that the one he had met was the more "innocent" of the two. Yami seemed a bit more open, friendly, and, dare he say it… cuter of the two Latino twins? He scowled and shook his head as he grabbed his mug off the table.

If he didn't watch it, he was going to start acting like Seth. But he had to admit, he wouldn't mind seeing more of Yami. He _was_ pleasing to the eyes, after all.

"Contemplating on how to take over the world one business at a time, little brother?"

Seto rolled his eyes at his brother as he took a slip of his lukewarm coffee. God, how he hated that nickname. But unfortunately, he was more than used to it. "More like how to take over one oil rig at a time."

"Ah, still thinking on how to overthrow our loving father, huh?" Seth sat down in the only other lounge chair, stretched his legs out and crossed his ankles. Giving his brother a sideways glance, he studied Seto's expression, watching as it changed from mild annoyance to one of anger at the mention of their father, much to his amusement.

"You could say that."

"And I look forward to that day."

Sapphire eyes turned from the view to his black boxer-clad brother. "Then how come you are insistent on studying some stupid major on the way dead people lived? You could be taking business and we could take over together."

Seth smirked knowing that was as close as Seto was ever going to come to saying that he wanted him to be a part of his life. "No thank you, little brother. You go right ahead with your plans of domination and I'll go right ahead with my studies of dead people as you put it."

"Whatever you say dumbass."

"Hn." Seth shifted slightly in his seat, trying to find a more comfortable position.

"His name is Mutou."

"Huh?"

Seto leaned over and placed his mug on the concrete this time. "I spoke with the other twin last night, said his name was Yami Mutou and they are from Costa Rica. So assuming since they are twins, your obsession's last name is Mutou too."

"Mutou huh? That doesn't sound Latin American to me," Seth mused, but Seto shrugged his shoulders, not really caring. "Did you happen to find out the other twin's name?"

"Sorry, but if you want to know that badly then I suggest you go ask him yourself. I don't care enough about you to do your dirty work."

"You're an ass."

"And you are becoming weak."

Seth growled low in his throat. "And you are turning out more and more like our father. Who, if you remember correctly, is someone we hate. So excuse me if I want to be a little different than him. Excuse me if I'm starting to see beyond power, money, or status. But I'm by no means weak, little brother. And I hope one day you realize that, but until then forgive me for disappointing you."

Seto blinked as Seth stood up and stormed back into the apartment. Where the hell had that come from?

* * *

"Psst! Yami! Hey Yami!"

An insistent poke in his side brought the spiky-haired Costa Rican slowly back into consciousness, and he stretched lazily atop the scratchy futon before blearily opening his eyes. A pair of violet eyes and an enormous grin hovering inches from his face greeted him.

"GOOD MORNING!"

"Gah!" Yami sat straight up, the loose blanket covering him falling to the floor in a crumpled heap. "Wha… Where…?"

The violet-eyed face obscuring his vision laughed cheerily. "Did you forget me already, my new little twin friend?"

"Oh… hey Malik… You startled me," Yami mumbled, rubbing his eyes. "What time is it?"

"Nine! You know what that means, don't you?"

"Um… no?"

Malik gasped in mock horror, his enormous grin widening even more. "The mall opens in an hour! You have to hurry and get ready so we can go shopping!"

"Shopping…?" the spiky-haired teen asked weakly.

"Yep! I want to buy some more jewelry. You should get some too; I'll show you all the best places. I've lived here all my life so I can show you around." The grin faded a bit and Malik backed off, though he still looked pleased with himself. "Ooh! You should bring the other twin, too!"

"Atemu doesn't like things like that," Yami replied, yawning, as he stretched and swung his legs over the side of the futon. "I would like to go by my dorm, though; I need to change."

Malik wrinkled his nose. "You didn't have to sleep in your clothes, you know, I would've let you borrow some of my pajamas… well, I would have if I wore them. But you could've slept in your underwear like I do! I don't mind!"

Yami had to laugh at that. "That's okay. Thanks anyway," he replied, disappearing into Malik's bathroom.

Malik followed him, talking through the door. "Well we can go by the dorm and just ask Atemu while we're there! He should really come, since you guys just moved here and don't know anyone except that guy."

"Bakura," Yami supplied, his response muffled by the sound of water running in the sink.

"Right. Do you think they're still in bed?"

"Probably." Yami opened the bathroom door, wiping his hands on his pants. "Though I hope Bakura's gone by the time we get there; I'd rather not get my ass grabbed again."

The other's eyes widened a bit and he fidgeted with his black tank top, smoothing it over his chest. "He would do that even though he's dating your brother?"

Yami shrugged. "They're not dating. They're just friends. Atemu can be really casual about things like that; I've never liked it, honestly."

"I see." Malik frowned slightly before the smile returned to his face and he gestured toward the door. "Well, let's go if you're ready. Don't want to be late!"

Yami nodded. "Thanks for letting me stay over."

"You're welcome! That's what the futon is for!"

Yami nodded again, following the other out into the hall. "Malik? Why don't you have a roommate?"

"Oh, I'm rich." The violet-eyed male winked saucily at him. "Paid extra. I need more room for all my clothes, jewelry, and can't forget the skin care products…"

"Malik? Are you gay?"

* * *

Seto yawned and glanced at his watch. 9:00 A.M. He'd been out on the porch for hours, reading one of his textbooks, but now he was finished with his homework and he was bored. The brunet sighed. Television was a joke and he didn't feel like going out, so what could he do?

A wicked smirk spread over Seto's cheeks. Of course. Annoy Seth.

Seto rose to his full height, stretching, before swiftly and silently crossing the apartment and pausing at Seth's door. He heard the light sound of typing and cracked open the door to see his brother clacking away at his keyboard. As Seto watched, the darker-skinned twin pulled up the online student directory and typed in a one-word search.

_Mutou_.

Results:

_Mutou, Atemu_

_Mutou, Yami_

Seth hesitated a moment, obviously trying to remember what Seto had said earlier, before clicking on Mutou, Atemu. A yearbook-style photo of the tanned, spiky-haired object of Seth's obsession immediately filled the 19-inch plasma screen monitor, with the student's email, phone and address listed directly below the picture.

Seth paused. He folded his hands under his chin and sat there for a long moment, staring at the screen; and though Seto could only see the back of his brother's head he could imagine the intense gaze focused on the computer screen.

He snickered. Man. Seth had it bad.

At the sound, Seth whirled, angry cobalt eyes instantly fastened on his look-alike peeking through the doorway. "What the hell are you doing here, Seto!"

The younger twin shrugged, pushing the door open all the way. "I was just checking up on my beloved brother. Is that a crime?"

"Will you get off my case? I don't want to put up with your crap and I'm tired of you judging me!"

Seto smirked. "Overreacting just a bit, aren't we? I haven't said a word about your insane stalking habits."

"I am NOT a stalker! I was just… making sure you weren't lying about the bastard's name."

"Why would you even _care_ if I was?"

"I don't. It was simply morbid curiosity," Seth huffed, turning back to the computer screen. "I might need to know his name in case I ever decide to get revenge."

"Of course."

"Shut up!"

"I was agreeing with you."

"No you weren't! You were… GAH! Just go away!"

"Certainly. I wouldn't want to come between you and your private time with the computer screen…"

"GET OUT!"

Seto obeyed, merely because his brother looked close to hurling a heavy object in his direction, and Seto didn't want any embarrassing bruises. He strode quickly to his own bedroom, smirking all the way, and fell back onto the bed with a contented sigh. Bothering Seth was always entertaining, and it had been even easier than usual ever since the other had begun paying attention to that rude little punk.

Though, he had to admit, the punk's brother had gotten his attention…

Seto's gaze drifted to the laptop on the desk. He glanced back down the hall toward Seth's room, then at the computer once more.

Well. A good idea was a good idea.

* * *

"Bastard."

"Asshole."

"Bitch."

"I thought that was Sexy Little Spanish Bitch?"

"Oh, yes. How could I forget that…..Numnuts."

"Numb nuts? No, I can feel them just fine. Especially since you insist on rubbing your thigh against them." Atemu paused, looking thoughtful for a moment, eyes watching the man above him, his hands absentmindedly massaging the paler man's scalp, as he kept the friendly early morning bickering going. "Maletón."

Bakura blinked out of his daze. "I have no idea what you just called me and I really don't care cause that sounded sexy as hell."

Crimson eyes rolled. "So calling you a son of a bitch is ok as long as I do it in Spanish?" He pulled one of his hands out of Bakura's hair and began to lightly trace random designs on the other's pale back.

"Yes, just don't tell me what it means and let me think you are praising my skills as a lover."

Atemu snorted in amusement, "You just keep thinking that."

Feigning hurt, Bakura clutched his chest and rolled off of the Latin man, throwing one arm over his eyes. "That's it, my pride has been damaged. I'll never be able to get it up again."

"Is that so?" Atemu purred as he straddled the other looking down at him with an eyebrow raised in a silent challenge.

"Yep," he sniffed, peeking an eye out from under his arm. "I think it's broken."

"Awww, want me to kiss it and make it better?" he asked as he toyed with one of Bakura's nipples, rolling it around between his fingers.

Bakura removed his arm from his face and placed them on Atemu's hips. "Please?" he all but pouted out.

Nodding his head, Atemu chuckled at the others antics. "I'll see what I can do." Licking his lips, he scooted back some, eying his target….

"Damn, Atemu, I never thought I would see the day you were on top."

Two heads turned to see an amused Yami and a slightly stunned blonde looking at them. Growling low in his throat at being interrupted and made fun of, Atemu could do nothing but flip his brother off before he let out an undignified yelp when he was roughly flipped over. He looked up to see amused chocolate looking down at him.

"Always on bottom huh?"

Atemu shrugged his shoulders and smirked. "So much easier to be on the bottom and let you do all the work, mi esclavo."

Yami snickered, sitting down on his bed and patted the space beside him, gesturing for Malik to join him.

"What did he call him?" Malik asked once he had settled on the bed.

"Bakura doesn't want to hear the meaning, Mocoso."

"Why not?"

"Cause I like the meanings my head comes up with." Bakura stated, glancing between the younger twin and the newcomer.

Yami raised an eyebrow, thoroughly confused, but gestured towards the paler man. "Fine, I'll whisper it and in the mean time why don't you cover your ass up? The sun reflecting off of it is killing my eyes."

Laughing at Bakura's narrowed glare, Atemu reached down and pulled up the comforter as Yami whispered into Malik's ear.

"OOH! Nicknames!" Malik clapped his hands, bouncing up and down on the bed. "Do you have a nickname too, little twin friend?"

Yami scratched his head as both Atemu and Bakura looked at him with a definite 'who the hell is the crazy person' look. "Atemu, Bakura this is Malik. He's a law student and he let me spend the night at his place so I wouldn't have to watch free porn." He turned back to the energetic person beside him. "Atemu has been calling me Mocoso – which means brat – since we were little."

Bakura snorted and grumbled as he laid his head down on Atemu's chest. "Free? I would have charged and arm and a leg to view our show and it would have been well worth it too, I might add. Hell of a show."

Both Yami and Atemu gave identical eye rolls and Malik suddenly squealed causing all three of them to jump, looking at him wide-eyed.

"Ooh! Give me one please? Please?"

"How about Nutcase?" Bakura suggested.

"I want a Spanish one like the rest of you." Malik sent a glare at the white-haired student.

Atemu snorted, burying his face in his friend's white hair and mumbled something incoherent.

"What was that, dear brother?"

Sighing, Atemu looked up "Call him Burbujas."

Yami snickered, "Bubbles?"

"Yeah, he's cute but a complete airhead."

"I like!" Malik exclaimed, seemingly completely obvious to what Atemu had said.

"See what I mean?" Atemu pointed out as Bakura snickered against him. "Anyway, what are you two doing back here?"

"Well first off," Yami stole a quick glance at Malik, who was cheerfully repeating his new nickname over and over again, "I live here too and second, I needed to change clothes so we can go shopping."

"We? As in you and Burbujas over there?"

"No," Yami grinned. "We as in you, me and Malik."

"In that case, then Kura's coming with me."

Bakura lifted his head, "Oh hell no! Don't include me in this!"

"Well I am." Atemu replied as he pushed his lover off of him so he could crawl out of bed.

"EWW! ATEMU COVER YOURSELF UP!" Yami cried, only to be ignored as his brother pulled Bakura out of the bed.

Malik's jaw dropped. Two fully naked _fine_ looking men were standing naked before him. He could just reach out and touch….. "HEY! I want to see!" he yelled, trying to pull away the two hands that had just covered his eyes.

* * *

"Remind me why the hell _I _had to come to this," Bakura grumbled under his breath, his deep chocolate eyes narrowing as he watched Malik drag Yami to the nearest jewelry display, gesticulating excitedly at a particularly gaudy pair of earrings.

"Price of sleeping with me, I'm afraid." Atemu winked at his friend and sidled up beside him.

Bakura scowled. "Well there's some fine print for you."

The crimson-eyed freshman just laughed. "Sorry Bakura. But we can't very well be 'friends with benefits' without being friends, can we? And friends share each other's torment." He made an exaggerated grimace before strolling over to the jewelry stand, where Malik was currently forcing Yami to try on a flashy necklace.

Bakura watched the three for a moment, the tanned blonde smiling happily as he tried to force the nearly identical exotic Costa Ricans into various pieces of jewelry. All three were very nearly perfect; tanned and fit and sensual, not to mention squeezed into clothes tight enough to make his cock twitch at the sight. The white-haired sophomore had the sudden urge to walk over there and claim them all; his very own personal harem… Ah the possibilities…

"Bakuuuraaa!" Malik called. "Come here! I found something for you!"

Bakura sighed. The things he did for his dick.

After at least forty-five minutes of wandering through various jewelry stands – and one particularly interesting clothing store, with displays of leather and sheer material that were very kind to Bakura's imagination – the four college students came to a halt in front of a large metal box-shaped object, with coarse blue curtains hanging on either side. Atemu and Yami stared at it curiously.

"What is that thing?" the twins asked simultaneously; then glared at each other.

Bakura snorted. "Haven't you ever seen a photo booth before?"

"No," they answered together. After another glare, Atemu explained, "We didn't go to big towns much. Most of the time we were stuck in whatever hole-in-the-ground crap city that was near where our parents were researching."

"I'm not sure if they have these in Costa Rica, anyway," Yami added.

"You have to try it out then!" Malik exclaimed. "Come on, little twin friends! We can all get our pictures taken!" He tugged on Atemu's arm, who latched on to Bakura in turn, but the white-haired sophomore dug his heels into the ground and let out a sour curse.

"Oh _hell_ no! You're not dragging me into that thing. I'd rather watch Bubbles decorate his pretty little air head with more of that cheap-ass jewelry than squeeze into some dark, nasty hole with all of you!"

Malik giggled at the nickname before batting his thick eyelashes at Bakura and smiling sweetly. "That's okay, Bakura. We understand if you're claustrophobic."

"WHAT! I'm not scared!"

"It's okay to be afraid sometimes," the blonde soothed. "Don't worry, you won't be left out. I'll take some pictures of you with my digital camera later."

"I'm NOT scared!"

Malik just nodded patronizingly. "Of course you aren't."

Bakura growled. "Come on!" he snapped, grabbing Yami's arm and dragging him into the photo booth. The curtains swished behind them as Malik dropped a few coins into the slot, snickering under his breath.

He and Atemu watched as the camera flashed several times in quick succession, the sounds of a yelp and a loud slap punctuating the flashes of light inside the booth. The spiky-haired teen cut his eyes at the other. "That was evil, you know."

Malik merely smiled.

* * *

Fifteen minutes later the four were wandering the mall again, laughing and examining their photos. The first strip was especially entertaining, at least to Atemu and Malik, and the two were caught up in a seemingly endless argument over who got to keep them. The yelp they had heard was Yami's cry of surprise as Bakura had once again pinched his ass. The first picture showed Yami's wide-eyed expression of shock, the second Bakura laughing as Yami glared at him, the third Yami's vicious slap across Bakura's cheek, and the fourth Bakura scowling and rubbing the red mark on his face.

The next strip had both twins snickering behind their hands, Malik looking rather pleased with himself, and Bakura glaring at the three while planning out various ways to steal the pictures. The first one was Malik and Bakura sitting rather calmly together, the middle two showed Malik playing with his white hair, and the final one showed the outcome which was the reason for Atemu and Yami's laughter. Bakura was sporting two beautiful pigtails.

The next row of photos was one of Bakura's favorites since it was four wonderful pictures of him having a sexy twin sitting on each of his legs. No one could mistake the smug look on his face, enjoying himself even if Yami looked like he had just eaten a bowl of lemons and Atemu looked like he was about to fall off from laughing at his brother.

Bakura's other favorite one was just him and Atemu alone making out while the camera did its thing, only stopping long enough for both of them to flip the camera off in time for the last shot.

The last one was of Malik hugging Yami like his life depended on it, followed by a kiss on the cheek, a pair of bunny ears that somehow showed above Yami's spiked hair, and then one last hug for good measure all while Yami's face looked torn between amusement and worried that his new friend was more insane than he realized.

"These are so cute!" Malik squealed in delight as he gathered all five strips into his hands. "When I get home I'm going to start on the Fab Four's scrapbook!"

"Fab Four?" Yami asked, looking at his brother who just shrugged in response.

"YES!" Malik answered, jumping up and down, violet eyes dancing with excitement. "You, me, your brother….and him." He said as he pointed over to the scowling white haired sophmore.

"Oh god, please do not include me in your little friendship girly gang."

"But Kura dear," Atemu snickered as he walked over to the distressed college student and draped his arm around his shoulders. "If you want keep pinching Yami's ass…"

"Excuse me!"

Atemu ignored his brother, "….and sleeping with me, mi pequeño esclavo, then you will deal with it."

Chocolate eyes widened a fraction as he looked back and forth between both twins, weighing his options. With a final growl, he pulled Atemu's arm off of him and walked away mumbling. "Damn my dick."


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Malik settled into his desk with a contented sigh. It was finally Friday, and after this class he'd be free for the weekend, with nothing to do but relax with his friends until five A.M. or so on Monday, when he could wake up and finish his homework at the last minute.

The blonde set his bag on the floor and began pulling out his books, smiling when he saw the binder he'd spent most of the week decorating. The pictures he and his friends had taken the week before were pasted liberally atop the pink contraption, with the words "Fab Four" written in silver glitter across the top.

All in all, it was a little flamboyant. But Malik didn't care; he _was_ gay, after all, so why shouldn't he enjoy it? Besides, he liked looking at the pictures of his new friends; it gave him something to do when his classes got too boring. The blonde snickered as he examined the pictures of Bakura in pigtails. These were enough to entertain him for weeks.

Malik was surprised how easy it had been to make friends here; he had been worried that he would be alone for weeks, with nothing to do but sit alone in his dorm room and paint his toenails, feeling sorry for himself. All his friends from high school had left the city, gone off to colleges in other states, including his ex-boyfriend Rishid, who had broken up with the blonde shortly after graduation. Not that Malik minded all that much; he was ready for new friends, new experiences, and once in college he had thrown himself into the social scene right away, only to find everyone else there doing the exact same thing.

Which, of course, made things much easier. And now Malik had his adorable little twin friends to fawn over… and Bakura, who wasn't altogether horrible. Sighing a bit, the blonde freshman stretched out a slim finger and idly traced the picture of Bakura and himself. The white-haired male was really very attractive, if a little surly and perverted, and Malik might have gone for him if he wasn't with Atemu. The exotic little twin had Bakura wrapped around his little finger already, and Malik had to admit it was cute, if somewhat disappointing.

Oh well. He still had Yami, and Yami let Malik fawn all over him and squeeze him all he wanted. That was a valuable friend.

"What the hell is _that_? Is that your binder?"

An incredulous voice snapped Malik out of his reverie, and he glanced up to see a tall, brunet classmate with brilliant blue eyes staring at the binder with evident disgust. "Oh, hello, Kaiba," Malik chirped. "Yep, this is my binder. I decorated it."

"I can see that," the other drawled. He stared hard at the pictures for a long moment before shaking his head minutely and heading toward his usual seat at the back of the classroom.

Malik scooped up his books and followed. "Don't you like the pictures, Seto? Want to look at them some more? There are some good ones of me and Yami!" He plopped into the seat beside the brunet.

"Don't call me Seto, I barely know you. And I don't know Yami, either, so why the hell would I want to look at pictures of him?"

The blonde shoved the binder in Seto's face, pointing at a picture of himself kissing Yami's cheek. "Yes you do! You talked to him at that party last week, remember? You remember!"

Seto yanked the binder out of Malik's hands with a snarl. "Will you stop pestering me? If I remembered every stupid freshman I talked to for two seconds by the punch bowl at a frat party…"

"HA!" Malik crowed. "See? You do remember!"

The brunet scowled and began to make a nasty retort when the professor's voice floated in from the front of the room. "Alright, class, it's time to begin. Now if you'll remember, on Wednesday we were discussing…"

Malik turned his attention to the woman, idly thanking Seto when he handed back the binder a moment later. He didn't notice two of the pictures missing.

* * *

"Today we get to start a new section I'm sure all of you will enjoy, Human Sexuality. We will go over the evolution of sex based on the religions of different cultures.

"Even dating all the way back to the Paleolithic times, we have found evidence of sexual rites painted on the wall of caves in Europe. Also in the caves, we have found statuettes of women, usually displayed as pregnant. Their people were later called the 'Mountain People of Rhea', the mountain goddess, and mother of Zeus and Hera by Ancient Greeks.

"Now before we get further into the studies, can anyone tell me who, according to the Ancient Greeks, was given 'fertility rights'?"

The middle-aged professor stopped and looked over his intrigued students, choosing one to answer his question. "Ah, Mr. Kaiba."

With a sigh, Seth shifted slightly in his seat as he looked up and replied. "Men. Zeus was said to have a womb in his penis and therefore gave birth to the gods."

"Yes, and because of this men were considered above women. What else was considered the right of men because of this belief?"

The room went quiet; everyone seemed to wait for someone else to supply the requested answer, when suddenly a strong, proud voice interrupted the silence.

"Rape by 'right of domination'. It was very common for men to rape prostitutes, slaves, and even their own wives."

"Correct Mr. Mutou."

Seth snorted, not looking at either the teacher or Atemu and murmured, "Kinda hard to rape someone whose profession is sex and would lay down for a piece of bread."

Several girls gasped and Atemu turned to look at him with an amused eyebrow raised. "So you think that men or women who make a living selling themselves can't be raped? And you think they enjoy being forced against their will? Possibly beaten?"

"Well then they shouldn't choose it as their job."

"I see," Atemu said with a frown on his face. "So if a woman needs to support her child and taking up that profession is the only way to do it because she's uneducated, has no family support or her old man is useless, then she's asking to get assaulted?"

Seth could feel every single female eye on him, as well as the professor's, but at the moment he didn't care. All his thoughts were on the smug-looking, crimson-eyed Latino sitting several seats away from him. How dare this person question him in front of everyone like this? "No excuse. They should educate themselves so they could get another job."

"But Seth, you forget, back then women were not allowed to be educated the same as men. So some of the ladies had no choice. You aren't thinking properly."

Seth growled, balling his hands into fists, almost snapping his pen in half. Him not thinking? Hell he had the most intelligent mind out there! "Why are you sticking up for the women Atemu? Are you sure aren't one yourself?" Ok, well that was a stupid comeback, but damn this guy grated his nerves to the point he couldn't think straight anymore.

"Mr. Kaiba, please refrain from making personal insults in my class. I do not mind the debating…."

Seth was half listening to the man; more or less keeping his eyes and ears on the one that was contradicting him. And it seemed Atemu wasn't paying attention to the elder either, because he stood up, crimson locking on to azure, and smirked at him, but asked his seating partner a question.

"Bakura, did I look or _feel _like a female to you last night?"

"Mr. Mutou!"

Snickering at his friend's lack of shame, Bakura looked around his partner and directed his comment straight to Seth. "Nope, you were and still are one hundred percent male. Something I thoroughly enjoyed finding out."

Growling, Seth tightened his fists even more, finally snapping his pen and made to stand up, ready to punch both of them square in the jaw.

"Seth Kaiba, Atemu Mutou and Bakura Williams that is enough! Now I suggest you three leave my classroom and come back when you can properly behave."

With an icy glare sent to the two punks, Seth picked up his bag and stomped toward the front, pausing long enough to throw the broken pen away, before he stomped out of the room and into the hallway. Behind him, he heard the door pull to and he whirled around to look at two grinning faces.

"You think you're cute don't you? Contradicting me like that in front of the whole class?"

Atemu just continued to grin as he handed his book bag to Bakura. "Cute? No. That's one word that doesn't describe me. Besides, you're just sore that I made you look like a fool in there."

Seth's left eye began to twitch in anger and annoyance as Atemu began to walk towards him, a definite sway to his hips. And for the first time he took notice at what the other was wearing. Tight white T-shirt showed off taut muscles, form fitting blue jeans hung low in his hips and the sneakers he wore made no sound on the tiled floor as he approached. Glancing back up to the other's face, Seth found that his breathing was faulty when he looked into those exotic, alluring eyes. Such a fascinating color, beautiful deep crimson, closely resembling the color of freshly spilt blood. Absentmindedly, he wondered it was some kind of bad omen.

"Seth," his deep voice purred, causing him to snap out of it and back up till he was forced against the wall, dropping his bag to the floor. He narrowed his eyes and Atemu stopped just inches away from him. "Lets role play shall we? I'm the hooker, you're the John."

"Excuse me?" he asked, slightly disturbed. He looked from the sultry Atemu to the white-haired fiend snickering across the hall. "Is this some sort of joke?"

"No, joke Seth." Atemu reached over and lightly ran his fingers over Seth's dark blue T-shirt covered chest. "Just some role playing to prove our points."

Eyeing the other man warily, Seth was beginning to wonder just how sane Atemu was. "You're crazy."

"Hmm, possibly," Atemu replied while leaning forward and pressing his body close to the taller man. He let his hands trail upward until they were fisted into chestnut colored locks and before the other could protest, he pulled Seth down until their lips met.

Shock was the first thing that ran through him. This little man dared to get this close to him? He was about to push the other off of him when he felt a leg slip between his own, casually rubbing against his crotch. A gentle nip at his bottom lip caused him to open his mouth and he closed his eyes, body going on autopilot, responding wholeheartedly to the smaller man. God, that lithe body was so warm against his, his mouth perfectly wet and enticing as he explored it with his tongue and lips.

With a low growl, he grabbed Atemu by the waist and spun them around until the Latino was back against the wall and Seth was pressed against him, demanding more contact from the other. Their bodies were so impossibly close that each of them could feel the effects they were having on each other. And Seth was in heaven right now. The one person that had captured his attention right from the beginning was here, kissing him, rubbing up against him, and they were the only two in the world right at that moment. Their breathing was erratic; hands were roaming on their own accord and damn it felt so good….

Suddenly, Seth stumbled backwards when Atemu's hands pushed him away rather forcefully. Confused, he looked at the other and stared in disbelief when Atemu said one word.

"No."

"What the hell!"

Somewhere behind him he could hear Bakura laughing his ass off, but Atemu was just looking at him with an unreadable expression, licking his kiss-bruised lips. There was something flickering in those seemingly emotionless crimson eyes but it was so quick he couldn't catch it.

"I said no. So the next move is up to you. Are you going to force me to continue?"

"WHAT! What the hell makes you think I would force you to do something?"

"So, you are not going to rape me right?"

Seth narrowed his eyes, "You are fucked up in the head."

"Just answer the question." Atemu said as he walked past Seth to Bakura, taking his book bag back.

"That's a stupid question. Of course I wouldn't rape you, you're not worth it."

Atemu just shrugged his shoulders, unaffected by the remark, as Bakura wrapped an arm around his waist. "So let me get this straight, you – the John – said you wouldn't force yourself on me –the hooker – because I said no?"

"Yes! That's what I said, I wouldn't accost you just because the hooker said no…oh."

Atemu grinned at Seth's annoyed look, "I made my point, case closed."

Seth stared in disbelief as Atemu and Bakura walked away from him. Finally he seemed to snap out of it with a glare at the empty space before him and snarled. He had just been made a fool of and was not pleased at all. He would get Atemu for this; after all, this was war.

* * *

As soon as his class ended, Seto hurried out the door, trying to lose himself in the crowd before Malik could catch up to him. He didn't know if the blonde had seen him peel the pictures from his binder, but Seto definitely wasn't going to stand there and wait around for him to figure it out.

"Hey Seto! Wait up! Wait!"

Seto groaned inwardly. Too late.

"Wait! I need to ask you a question," Malik ordered breathlessly as he finally caught up to the brunet.

Or maybe not… The sophomore raised an eyebrow as he noticed the other's wide smile, excitement written all over his face. He looked far too happy to be after his stolen pictures. "What?" Seto asked gruffly.

"You're rich, right?"

"I don't see how that's any of your business," the brunet responded dryly, though surprised at the question.

The shorter male puffed out his chest. "Well. I thought you should know that I'm pre-law. You're rich. And rich people need lawyers, so," he poked himself in the chest with a thumb, "I'm your man."

Seto fought the urge to laugh in his face, deciding to go with the slightly more polite response. "What in the seven hells gives you the idea that _I_ would ever hire _you_ as my lawyer?"

Malik just grinned. "I'm going to specialize in business law. Majoring as an undergrad in business. And unless I'm mistaken, you're going to be a nice fat suit-wearing business mogul as soon as you get out of school, so we'll have lots of classes together. Get to know each other pretty well. And wouldn't you rather have a lawyer who knows you?"

Seto scowled. "No, I'd rather have a lawyer who wasn't clinically insane."

"All the more reason to hire me!"

"Listen, you—"

"Burbujas?" A soft voice from behind Seto interrupted his insult, and when he and Malik both turned to see who had spoken Seto's eyes widened and a hand reflexively went to the pocket of his stain-resistant Docker's pants – where he had hidden the stolen pictures. Yami, the slender, spiky-haired freshman whom Seto had been thinking about for the past week, was standing there smiling up at him. "I thought I saw you getting out of class. Do you want to come to the cafeteria with me and get something to eat?"

A strange sensation resembling heartburn rose up in the brunet's chest as he looked down at the slim young man before him wearing tight, paint-splattered jeans and a t-shirt with the name of some beach printed across the chest. Was Yami asking him out? Of course, it was only to the school cafeteria, and the other was a little more casually dressed than Seto would have preferred for their first date, but he supposed one had to start somewhere. Smirking, Seto opened his mouth to respond with a carefully unenthusiastic yes, when he was interrupted again.

"I'm sorry, Yami, I can't," Malik sighed. "I need to go back to my dorm and start getting ready if we're going somewhere tonight."

Yami's beautiful scarlet eyes widened in surprise. "But Malik, it's not even three in the afternoon!"

"I need time to exfoliate." Yami laughed and Seto scowled as the blonde winked broadly at them before strolling off toward his dorm. "Play nice together, kiddies!" he called over his shoulder, leaving Yami and Seto alone.

When the brunet turned back toward Yami, he found the other gazing up at him curiously. "I know you, don't I? Are you one of Malik's friends?"

"I wouldn't exactly call it that," Seto muttered. Sharing a couple of classes and being stalked by the obnoxious blonde didn't exactly make them friends in Seto's book.

Yami snapped his fingers. "Of course! You're Kaiba! I met you at that party last week."

"Call me Seto," he responded almost pleasantly, so busy observing the way the shorter male's blonde bangs fluttered over his face in the slight wind that he almost missed the other's response.

"Alright. Well then, Seto, would _you_ like to come to the cafeteria with me? I'm bored and hungry and Malik abandoned me to go scrub his pores." Yami laughed lightly, running a hand through his hair, and gave the brunet a hopeful glance.

Seto thought for a moment, studying the other carefully before he replied slowly, his heart thudding painfully in his chest, "I would, except I want our first date to be nicer than that."

Yami's hand froze mid-stroke. "Excuse me?"

The brunet summoned all his Kaiba confidence and flashed the other a devilish grin. "You heard me. I'm attracted to you." He paused, bracing himself for a cheesy, slightly degrading speech, but continued anyway, since after all, Kaibas did whatever it took to get what they wanted, and Seto was willing to embarrass himself a bit if he had to. "I think you're gorgeous," he continued, "gorgeous and… sweet, and friendly; and I want you to go out with me. Tomorrow."

Yami just stared up at him, wide-eyed, for almost a full minute, and Seto had almost given up hope when the shorter male finally replied, in a small voice, "Okay."

"Okay?" Seto echoed, unable to hide the relief lacing his response.

Yami nodded, a tiny smile playing about his lips before he dropped his gaze to the ground. "Only… Only, well; I don't know you very well, and I've never been on an American date before, so I don't think I know what to do," he mumbled.

Seto grinned saucily. "Don't worry about that. I'll be more than happy to show you just how things work." A few X-rated images danced through his head, only to be sadly butchered when Yami spoke again.

"Can I bring someone along with us?"

The brunet stared in surprise, and at the look on his face Yami started stammering, obviously flustered. "I'm sorry, that ruins things, doesn't it? I just… I thought I would feel better if I had someone there, that I know… you know… like Malik, or my brother Atemu…"

A sudden, wicked idea came over Seto and he laughed, surprising the other into silence. "Bring Atemu," the brunet said. "I'll bring someone as well. We'll make it a double date."

* * *

Seth was fuming by the time he got back to his apartment. The long car ride, due to a wreck on the interstate, had given him plenty of time to stew over the events of the day. He still couldn't believe that not only had he gotten kicked out of class – though Kaibas walk out, they do not get kicked out – but he had been played by the one person that seemed to haunt his every thought. That was another thing that irked him. Why was Atemu always on his mind?

Sure the guy was sexy, exotic, and obviously intelligent and even a blind person would find him attractive but damn if the guy didn't infuriate the hell out of him. And that was reason he was so pissed off. Why the hell was he so obsessed with someone that seemed to enjoy making his life a living hell?

And why did he seem to look forward to it?

Snorting at his own idiotic self, Seth threw his book bag down on the floor of his bedroom and turned to his computer desk, ready to get started on his homework, only to stop short with narrowed eyes. There, taped to the screen, was a very small picture. Taking the few necessary steps needed to stand in front of the desk, he snatched the offending object off of it, brought it up to his face and stared – _hard_.

He growled at the image of his current 'double-headed headache' passionately lip-locked with that white-haired bastard. His icy glare was interrupted by a smug, mocking voice behind him.

"Enjoying your present?"

Turning around, Seth fixed the same look he had just given the picture to his twin brother who was leaning against the door frame, arms crossed over his chest, with that famous Kaiba smirk on his face.

"Two questions, little brother, before I kick your ass."

Seto just raised an eyebrow, not caring about the useless threat. "Proceed."

"How the hell did you get _this?_" He questioned, holding up the small photo, "And why the hell do you insist on pushing me when it comes to this guy?"

"Ah, easy enough. To answer your first question, I found it." Well that was partially true; he did _find_ it… in that god-awful binder. "Second, because it's highly entertaining."

Seth snarled, "I should have strangled you in the womb."

"But brother-_dear_, if you had done that then you wouldn't have been able to go on a date with me tomorrow."

Blinking, Seth lowered the picture, "Excuse me?"

"I said," Seto began, pushing himself off of the doorframe, "We have a double date tomorrow. I suggest you dress to impress."

"When have I ever _not_ dressed…..wait. Who's my date? And better yet who is yours?"

The younger Kaiba flashed him a cocky grin, before turning and walking out of Seth's room into his own, speaking over his shoulder. "I happen to have a date with Yami Mutou and you have a date with a friend of his."

Seth ignored the slight jealous pang that hit him when he heard who his twin's date was and followed his brother into his room. "And this friend is? He is male right? While there is nothing wrong with females, I'm not into boobs, PMS, and estrogen."

Shrugging, Seto laid back on his bed, head pillowed by his arms, sapphire eyes looking up at the white ceiling. "I'm not sure who _he_ is. All I know is that Yami said he wouldn't go out with me unless he could bring a friend with him. So I agreed. And you are going to keep his friend company while I lay on the Kaiba charm."

Seth snorted in amusement, "Fine, I'll keep the friend away but you, little brother, owe me." Without another word, he turned and walked back to his room, completely missing the shit-eating grin on the other's face.

* * *

Dragon and Pysche: Thanks for all the wonderful reviews! 


	5. Chapter 5

Bakura yawned and stretched, waking from his long Saturday afternoon nap and glancing out the window to see the last rays of the setting sun sinking below the horizon. "Hmm, must've slept longer than I thought," he mused aloud. He fell back against the bed and stared up at the ceiling for a few minutes before speaking again to the empty room.

"This sucks. I'm bored."

As could be expected, no one answered, and the white-haired sophomore's eyelids began to droop once more. A few seconds later he had fallen into a half-dream; visions of naked Costa Rican twins, their tanned blonde friend, and a can of chocolate-flavored whipped cream floating through his mind.

His eyes snapped open. "I think I'll call Atemu."

When he got no answer at his friend's dorm, he tried Atemu's cell phone, smirking when Atemu answered sullenly after the third ring. "What do you want, Bakura?"

"Sex."

Atemu snorted. "Don't beat around the bush or anything."

"Wouldn't dream of it."

"Whatever. Just use your hand, jackass, I'm busy."

"Busy doing what?" Bakura asked lazily. "I know you're not doing homework, and I'm your only friend, unless you count that airhead Bubbles."

"Hmph. Believe it or not I _do _have a social life outside of you. I'm going on a date."

Bakura laughed out loud. "Yeah right! With who, that stuck-up Kaiba jerk? He want your ass after he got a taste of your tongue?"

"Well I'm sure he did, but no. Actually I don't know who my date is. The other Kaiba asked Yami out but Yami felt uncomfortable going without someone he knew, so he dragged me along. Kaiba's supposed to bring someone, too. It's a double date."

Bakura nearly fell off the bed laughing. "Oh man! Yami and Kaiba! I bet old Seth is loving that one."

Atemu chuckled briefly. "Yeah. I'd love to see the look on his face. It almost makes this double date stuff worthwhile. This is seriously going to be a nightmare, though. I wish Yami had just turned Kaiba down and saved us all the trouble." Yami's sound of protest could be clearly heard in the background, and Atemu amended his statement. "Alright, alright! I'm sure this night will be perfect; Seto is a nice catch, blah blah blah. Ow! Yami! Those girly slaps hurt! OW!"

Bakura lay back on the bed, staring up at the ceiling thoughtfully once again. "Where're y'all going?"

"The movies. The theater closest to the school, I don't remember the name of it. We'll probably end up watching some chick flick, too, knowing my brother. OW! Damnit Yami, stop hitting me!"

"Mm. I'll leave you to it, then."

"K. Bye."

The white-haired male absently tapped his chin with the antenna of his cordless phone, a wicked grin spreading across his face. Then he quickly dialed another number, his grin stretching even wider when the person on the other end answered. "Hello?"

"Bubbles, tell me you still have that digital camera."

* * *

"He's late."

"Shut up Seth!" The younger Kaiba twin trained his sapphire eyes in all directions, but there was no sign of Yami. Seth was right; Yami was late, precisely eleven minutes late, to be exact, which meant Seto had been standing on the cracked sidewalk outside the movie theater with his sulky brother for the past sixteen minutes – since Kaibas were always a tactful five minutes early for any sort of appointment.

"You could stop fiddling with your clothes, too. You're going to rip a hole in your shirt at that rate."

Seto glared, but found he couldn't respond as he had indeed been tugging harshly at his collar. As he had told Seth, Seto had 'dressed to impress,' in dark brown dress pants and a ribbed black short-sleeved shirt that clung to his pectorals. Though he threatened to stretch the shirt out of shape with the way he kept nervously pulling at it.

"Why are you so worked up about this date, anyway? I don't see what's so great about Yami. And for that matter, why is okay for you to like him when his brother is so far 'beneath' me?"

"I'm not freakishly angry and obsessed with him," Seto replied waspishly, his deep blue eyes still scanning the parking lot. "And even Kaibas need to enjoy themselves sometimes. Yami… intrigues me."

"I'll bet," Seth snorted.

The brothers exchanged another heated glare before Seto turned back to the parking lot again and Seth leaned against the wall, letting his eyes drift shut. "Besides," Seto added slyly after a moment, "he's gorgeous. Both of them are. Even you have to admit that."

"Yeah…" Seth sighed, a small smile creeping over his face, though he didn't open his eyes. "Atemu is sexy. He's got this… exotic Latin… something… and those eyes…"

"Thanks for the compliment, but I'm still going to kill Yami for this."

* * *

Atemu growled as he closed his cell phone. "I'm going to have to teach you to hit properly, Mosoco. Those girly slaps are embarrassing, even if they do hurt."

Yami rolled his eyes, fingering the edge of his black gauzy shirt that he borrowed from his brother. "Anyway, Atemu, I want you to be on your best behavior tonight."

Snorting, Atemu pocketed the tiny phone. "When am I not on my best behavior? Besides, I'm only here for you. I'll do my part and keep this 'friend' out of your and Seto's hair."

"I'm sure that won't be a problem since you can see your underwear – see through underwear I might add."

He looked down at the outfit in question, eyeing the holey blue jeans, black mesh boxers that were visible through those obscenely placed holes, and form-fitting black T-shirt. "Well, I could have not worn any," he smirked.

"You might as well have."

Atemu laughed, placing an arm around Yami's shoulders as they stepped through the movie theater's parking lot. "You need to loosen up some."

"No thanks," Yami replied smiling, "You're loose enough for the both of us."

Shrugging his shoulders, Atemu took no offense to his brother's teasing. "You look good, by the way. Though I have no idea why you want to impress this guy."

"Thanks. And I want to make a good impression because I think he's sweet – and not to mention cute."

Atemu stopped, causing his brother to do the same. Turing Yami around so that he could look his younger twin in the eye, he rested his other arm on the other shoulder and gave his brother a serious look. "Looks can be deceiving Yami. I'll kill him if he hurts you."

Yami nodded his head, smile still on his face. "I don't think he will hurt me."

"I'm serious."

"I know."

"I'll cut his balls off, ship them to Costa Rica and feed them to the monkeys."

Laughing, Yami gave his brother a quick hug before he started walking again. "Come on, let's go. We're late as it is."

Following his brother, Atemu placed his hands into the pockets of his blue jeans. He stared at the ground, watching his black boots tread lightly over the cracked pavement with just a small clink of the silver buckles as they hit the ground, thinking of various ways to hurt a certain blue-eyed twin when he heard his brother's footsteps stop and a familiar and unwanted voice cut through the air.

"Atemu is sexy. He's got this… exotic Latin… something… and those eyes…"

Looking up, crimson eyes narrowed. "Thanks for the compliment, but I'm still going to kill Yami for this." He stared hard as azure eyes opened in shock before he turned his gaze towards his brother. "There is no way in hell I'm doing this. I can't believe you didn't mention who my supposed 'date' was tonight, knowing how I feel about that guy," Atemu snarled, surprising Yami.

"I didn't know, Atemu. All Seto said was he was bringing someone for you." Pleading crimson eyes turned to look at Seto, who was having a hard time refraining from letting a smug smirk form on his face when he saw that look.

With a sigh, Seto stepped over to stand by Yami. If he was going to get anywhere with the Latino, he was going to have to smooth things over with the other twin. "Yami's telling the truth; he didn't know who I was inviting."

Angry eyes looked from Seto to Seth, who was still standing against the wall with an unreadable expression on his face, back to his brother. "Fine, but I'm still out of here. And to think I could have been getting laid right now," he spat as he turned and walked away, missing the slight flinch Seth made.

Storming off in the direction of the university, Atemu began to dig his phone back out of his pocket when his brother's voice stopped him in his tracks.

"Atemu! Please don't leave!"

"I'm not going to stay with him Mocoso," he replied, not looking at his twin until Yami stepped in front of him. "Do you know what a pain in the ass he is? All cocky, rude, arrogant…."

"And hot?"

Atemu snapped his mouth shut and scowled. "That was not what I was going to say."

"But still…"

"But still nothing. The only thing he does for me is to give me a few moments of entertainment when I make of fool of him." Atemu smirked, eyes glittering with amusement as he thought about what happened in the hallway yesterday. Unfortunately, he was lying to his brother. Seth had done something else to him, too – turned him on more than he realized or cared to admit.

"Please stay for me? You know I don't do things like this very well." Yami pleaded, biting his lip. "If you leave, then I'm going to leave too."

Sighing, Atemu looked away back towards the other set of twins to see that they also seemed to be having a discussion and crossed his arms over his chest. He didn't want to stay – he wasn't in the mood to put up with either of the Kaibas – but he also didn't want to disappoint his brother. Yami had been looking forward to this since yesterday; and had taken more time to get ready for the date than Atemu had ever remembered.

"Fine, for you I will stay." He smiled slightly as his brother flashed him a brilliant smile and hugged him tight.

* * *

"You are a conniving bastard, you know that?" Seth glared at his brother once Yami had gone to chase after his own brother. "Did you honestly think I would enjoy this little joke of yours?"

Seto just shrugged his shoulders, not taking his eyes off of Yami as his date talked to his brother. "Actually, I don't care what you think as long as I enjoy myself. That's all that matters."

Staring at his brother incredulously, Seth couldn't help but wonder what had happened to the twin he once knew. Sure they both only looked out for number one – which was themselves – but never had Seto outright turned on him for his own enjoyment. And while they had never been extremely close, they now seemed to be drifting further and further apart, to the point he was beginning to wonder where Seto's loyalties lay.

And now this. This was beyond low in his book. Seto knew how he felt and both of them had a pretty good idea on how Atemu felt about Seth; so why the hell had Seto gone out of his way to humiliate him?

"Here they come – and oh, look. It seems Yami was able to convince your sweetie of a date to stay."

"Bastard," Seth muttered under his breath, but his brother was distracted by his date's approach and didn't respond.

"Sorry for that. Atemu's… er… over his problem now so we can go on," the fairer twin told Seto, smiling sheepishly. Seto gave him a slight smile in return, glancing up and down and taking in the black gauze shirt and black jeans that clung tightly to Yami's form.

"You look incredible," he murmured.

"So do you," Yami replied. The two stared at each other a moment, their smiles widening.

Seth snorted.

"Let's just go watch this movie," Atemu sighed. For once, the older Kaiba agreed with him.

"What are we watching, Seto?" Yami asked as Seto wrapped an arm around his waist, ushering the smaller male through one of the glass doors at the entrance.

"There's only one new movie this week that's not a kid's movie, so I thought we could see that. Summer Breeze."

"Is that a chick flick?" Atemu asked disdainfully.

"Sounds like the name of a douche bag," Seth put in, and Atemu laughed outright – until he realized he was laughing at something Seth had said, and quickly shut up.

The older Kaiba smirked at the scowling Atemu while Seto paid for all the tickets and bought Yami some popcorn, and the four students walked into the darkened theater, for one rare moment all of them silent.

* * *

"Are you sure this is the right theater? I don't see my twin friends anywhere…"

"Dammit, Bubbles, I think I have enough sense to find the right theater," Bakura snapped. Ever since he had met up with Malik half an hour before the blonde had been driving him crazy, taking pictures of Bakura every few seconds and babbling on about whatever random subject happened to cross his mind. Bakura had stopped listening after the first minute or so.

"Hmph. Jerk. You don't have to be so rude." Malik pouted, crossing his arms and causing the digital camera hanging around his neck to sway wildly back and forth. Bakura rolled his eyes and muttered something that sounded vaguely like an apology as his eyes scanned the area around the theater once more.

"They must have already gone inside. But how can we tell what movie they went to see?" the white-haired sophomore mused to himself.

"We can always just ask someone, you know. Our little twin friends don't exactly blend in with the crowd," the blonde put in matter-of-factly as he picked an imaginary piece of lint off his tight, stylishly faded jeans. "Kura, do I look okay? Is this shirt too slutty?" He spun slowly, causing the sleeveless, practically painted-on purple shirt to cling even more tightly to his lean figure.

"You look hot as hell. And don't call me Kura. Now shut up and let me focus," Bakura replied absently, deciding that Malik's idea was as good as any. Ignoring the other's ecstatic smile, he motioned for Malik to follow him and walked inside to where the ticket-taker, a brown-eyed male about their age with thick blonde hair that hung in his eyes stood in the middle of the lobby, chewing gum and leaning against the ticket box. As the two students approached him he popped the gum loudly and eyed them with a lazy air.

"Excuse me…" Bakura glanced at his nametag. "…Jou. We're looking for our friends; two sets of twins, have you seen—"

"Can't take that camera in the theater," Jou said in a bored tone, completely ignoring Bakura as his gaze swept up and down the blonde freshman's form.

Malik smiled sweetly. "It doesn't record, it only takes pictures. But I wouldn't mind leaving it with you anyway," he purred.

Jou straightened. "I'll keep it safe for you, sir," he assured Malik, puffing his chest out.

Malik giggled and withdrew the camera from around his neck; then closed the few steps between himself and the ticket-taker, leaning forward on his tiptoes to slide the string around Jou's neck instead. But instead of stepping back, the blonde freshman lightly ran his fingers through Jou's hair, murmuring admiringly. "Ooh, your hair is so soft! And so thick! What kind of product do you use?"

"Uh… shampoo?" Jou replied helpfully. Uncertainly, he reached out and skimmed his fingers over Malik's shoulder-length blonde hair in return, letting his hand travel down toward the small of Malik's back before halting its motion. "Um… you have good hair, too."

Bakura scowled.

Malik beamed. "You really think so? I just started using this new leave-in conditioner; I can really tell the difference, but no one's said anything until now…"

The ticket-taker nodded stupidly, his gaze drifting downward as Malik rambled. As Bakura watched them, Jou gulped, a determined expression flashing across his face for a brief second before his hand slid further down Malik's back. Then, to the sophomore's disbelief, Jou reached down and lightly squeezed Malik's rear.

Two pairs of eyes widened before Bakura narrowed his and growled, yanking his friend from the ticket-taker's grasp. "Alright, that's enough of that," he snapped. "Just tell us what theater our friends are in."

But Jou was grinning goofily at Malik and didn't even seem to hear the question. "Do you work out?"

"Yep! Four days a week! Mostly cardio, though I do a bit of weight-lifting from time to time."

Bakura tightened his grip on Malik's arm. "Listen, if you don't stop this crap and tell us where—"

"What gym do you go to? Maybe we could meet up sometime."

"ALL RIGHT! THAT'S ENOUGH! JUST TELL US WHERE ATEMU IS, DAMMIT!"

The two blondes blinked and looked at Bakura, whose pale face had turned an interesting shade of cherry red and chest was heaving visibly under his gray t-shirt. "Bakura, are you okay?" Malik asked worriedly. Jou just gaped.

The sophomore sighed. "Maybe you'd better ask him, Bubbles."

The blonde blinked before nodding in comprehension and turning back to the theater employee. "Jou, have you seen two sets of twins come in here? Two of them are tall with brown hair and really good posture, and the others are shorter than me and their hair sticks up like this." He demonstrated with a few strands of platinum blonde hair, pulling it up into spikes.

Jou nodded, puffing out his chest importantly once more. "Yep! They're in theater four. But seriously, what do you think about the gym…?"

* * *

_"But John! You can't leave me! I can't live without you! Don't you know what you do to me? The way you make me feel like I'm the sexiest woman alive, like I can do anything with you by my side, like…"_

Atemu snorted, leaning over his brother's shoulder grabbing a handful of popcorn from the half empty bucket in Yami's lap. "Why the hell do women think they need a man in order to do anything?" he replied as he sat back in his seat a row behind the dating couple. "Yet another reason why I am gay. I'll be damned if some girl tells me they need me to stick around cause they can't do anything without me. Seriously, I mean look at it. They even go to the bathroom in groups. What do they do in there? Help wipe each other's…"

"Atemu!" Yami spun around wide-eyed, pointing a finger at his smirking brother. "Can you please refrain from making crude comments just once?"

"Actually, I have a better idea," Seto broke in with a harsh whisper. "Why don't you just shut the hell up? Cold blue eyes fell on 'innocent' blinking crimson before that façade fell with a smirk and a middle finger shoved in Seto's face.

"Chupámela."

On the same row as Atemu but a couple of empty seats away, Seth watched, not bothering to hide his smirk as Yami gasped in embarrassment and Seto growling, demanding to know what was said. He had to admit, it was amusing to see someone get under Seto's skin like a chigger. Just made the Latino that much more appealing. Here was a guy that wasn't afraid of either of them like most people were and if they weren't afraid, they were so enamored with them that it bordered on sick and disgusting.

And it doesn't help matters when those shapely legs were perched on the back of the chair in front of him in such a way that he could see enticing flesh peaking through those well-placed holes. Not to mention that heated kiss that still lingered on his lips.

He was pulled suddenly out of his musings when something bounced off his forehead. Startled azure snapped up to see Atemu looking at him with a knowing smirk on his face. Crimson eyes casually drifted from him to the small pile of popcorn he held in his hand then back to Seth.

He narrowed his eyes. Was that a challenge?

Hiding his amusement and excitement behind a scowl, Seth dumped some of his sour patch kids into his hand, just as he was pelted with another piece of popcorn. Did Atemu really think he would be able to beat him with something so light and harmless? Seriously, the mass of his candies far out weighed Atemu's.

Seth growled as another piece of popcorn bounced harmlessly off his head. Well he could give Atemu some credit; the guy had good aim. Barely noticing his brother's and his date's lack of attention on them, Seto grabbed one of the sour patch kids and launched it at his opponent and glared when it was caught deftly in golden hands.

* * *

Bakura grinned like mad when Atemu began throwing popcorn at his supposed date. From their shadowy seats, several rows behind the two sets of twins, they could watch everything that was going on without being noticed. Sitting beside him, Malik looked on as he plated with a strand of his blonde hair.

"Yami's not going to be happy if those two ruin his date."

"Who cares?"

"I care," Malik whispered harshly over the crying woman on the movie screen. "He's my friend and I want this to go well for him."

"Yeah, I guess you're right. I mean the guy needs to get laid big time. And maybe – ooh look. Atemu caught it. Take that big shot! – that Seto person is the guy – Oh my god that is so fucking hot!"

Chocolate eyes darkened as he watched with a predatory gaze. Atemu had taken his catch and begun to worship it with his tongue. Bakura could do nothing but gulp and squeeze the quickly growing bulge between his legs as Atemu continued his sinful assault on the lucky candy. Vaguely he noticed that Seth was in no better shape as he was, the brunet's mouth hanging open, azure eyes never leaving that wonderfully talented mouth.

"Kura?"

Bakura growled, mad that his lustful thoughts had been interrupted. "WHAT! And don't call me Kura – unless you are spreading your legs for me, nicknames are off limits."

Lavender eyes narrowed. "How can you like that….that wanton public act? And I saw the way you looked at him – not to mention that anyone within fifty feet was staring at him with more than enough drool to fill a swimming pool - when you noticed how he was dressed. Wasn't that a bit like a trashy tramp?"

"Look Bubbles," Bakura began, not taking his eyes off of Atemu and Seth even though his lover had stopped molesting the candy and was now staring at Seth with a raised eyebrow, waiting for the taller male to snap out of his dumbfounded gaze. "Atemu is not trashy, he's like walking exotic sin. They both look good, but Atemu knows it, his attitude, his state of mind, all reflects on him and people can't help but want him. He doesn't flaunt anything," he took his eyes off of Atemu to quickly give Malik a pointed look before turning back to the current subject.

"What do you mean…."

Bakura suddenly roared with laughter when Atemu obviously got tired of Seth staring at him and threw the now sticky, wet candy at the other, smacking him in the face and sticking right below his eye. Seth's mouth dropped open, totally shocked.

Quickly, Malik grabbed Bakura and pulled him down to the floor beside him in case the others turned to look at who caused the sudden outburst. The last thing he needed was for the white-haired man to blow their cover. Well, that and he wasn't about to let the other get away with not answering his question.

"Atemu!"

"Seth!"

Chocolate and lavender both peeked over the back of the chairs, eyes wide and blinking at the two sets of twins that were now standing up and facing each other. Atemu seemed to be all out of popcorn, but since his hand was currently in his cup, he didn't seem to be out of ammunition.

"Must you be so childish Atemu? You just had to ruin my date didn't you?"

"That goes for you too Seth."

"He was looking at my crotch!"

"He molested a Kid and then threw it at me!"

Yami and Seto, looking quite appalled, glanced from Seth to Atemu while both Bakura and Malik snickered quietly, all six of them ignoring the gasps coming from the rest of the audience. Rolling his eyes, the older Latino grabbed the box of candies from Seth's hand and held them up for everyone to see.

"Sour Patch _Kids_." He turned back to Seth. "And I didn't give you permission to stare between my legs."

"Oh, so I need permission to look at your crotch but not to cram my tongue down your throat in the middle of the hallway at school?"

"WHAT!" came three replies at once, though luckily Malik's was drowned out by both Yami's and Seto's voices and the numerous 'shhs' and 'quiets' coming from everyone else.

Bakura snickered, not taking his eyes off of the amusing scene before him. "Oh yeah, that was a classic. Seriously, you should have seen that."

"You let your lover kiss other guys?"

The white-haired male just shrugged his shoulders. "We are both free to do what we want."

"But, I thought…" Whatever else Malik was about to say was cut off when a familiar voice interrupted the quarreling. Looking over to the source, he saw the ticket guy, Jou, addressing the twins.

"Excuse me, but I'm going to have to ask y'all to leave for disrupting the movie."

"Boy, Atemu got him kicked out again!" Bakura smirked as the four twins started arguing with Jou, only to go wide-eyed when Atemu and the others began to make their way to the exit, which just happened to be behind him and Malik. Looking around for a place to hide and quickly realizing that there wasn't one, Bakura made a rash decision.

"Malik."

Lavender eyes looked at him, shinning with panic and curiosity. "Yes?"

"Don't scream," was all the warning he gave before he placed a hand behind Malik's head, pulled him forward until their lips met.

Malik's eyes went impossibly wide; then slowly slipped closed. God, he had been wanting this ever since he first saw Bakura and his other little twin friend dancing at that party. The white-haired male was extremely sexy even if he was rather rude and promiscuous. And just when the blonde was ready for the next step of the kiss, Bakura pulled away and wiped his mouth with his sleeve before he stood up.

"They're gone now. Let's go and follow them. I have a feeling this date's not over yet."

Stunned and hurt, Malik nodded his head dumbly and followed Bakura out of the theater.

* * *

According to the Costa Rican slang site, chupámela means 'suck my dick'. 


	6. Chapter 6

Gritting his teeth, Seto pulled his dark blue Escalade out if the movie theater parking lot. So far the night had not gone as planned. By now he had hoped to be making use of the expansive back seat of his SUV instead of using it to haul around two stubborn asses, even if that was mildly entertaining.

A gentle hand was placed on his arm, gathering his attention. "I'm sorry for my brother's behavior back there."

"Hey! Don't apologize for me!"

"Don't worry about it," Seto gave Yami one of his sexy smirks, watching intently as a light blush swept across tanned cheeks. "I know how hard it is to have a thickheaded twin."

"Like you're one to talk, little brother."

"Atemu's not that bad, he just is…"

"Someone sitting right behind your smitten ass while you're talking about him."

"At least he's not stuck up Seto's ass like you are with that white haired freak."

"Well if Seto's ass was half as good as Kura's then I wouldn't blame Yami for wanting him."

"Atemu!"

"What Mosoco? I think he's jealous. Don't you think so?" Atemu smirked at his brother; totally ignoring the three heated glares sent his way.

Seth snorted, crossing his arms over his chest. "Jealous? Hardly."

"Oh really?" a dark eyebrow rose in disbelief. "Then mind explaining why you pushed me up against the wall and basically tried to suck all the spit out of my mouth?"

"Eww. Atemu that's just…ewww."

"Seriously Mosoco, you should have seen it. We were kissing and then suddenly he had _me_ pinned against the wall. It was liked he had never been kissed before. He was all hands and mouth and….."

"Atemu! I think you should stop now. You're embarrassing your date."

Atemu scoffed, "He's not my date."

"Actually, Yami, I think we should leave them be." Seto glanced over at the younger twin before looking in the rearview mirror at the two in the backseat. "This is quite amusing don't you think? To see someone get the better of my brother?"

"Asshole." Both Atemu and Seth muttered at the same time, then sending icy glares at each other when they realized they had once again agreed on something.

Wide crimson eyes stared at Seto. "You don't really mean that do you?" he asked, catching the attention of both Atemu and Seth.

"Mean what?"

"That you enjoy seeing Seth humiliated?"

Glancing away from the road, Seto looked at Yami in confusion. "Of course, why wouldn't I? Don't you like seeing your twin put down a notch or two?"

"No, I don't." There was a steely edge to Yami's voice that shocked Seto even if he didn't show it. "Atemu is my best friend, brother, and practically a parent to me. Why on earth would I want to see him hurt?"

Atemu sat quietly, feigning a look of boredom on his face as he gazed out the window. What Yami had said was true. They were that close and would always be, but even he couldn't miss the sudden thick, awful tension that seemed to fill the small cabin of the SUV as his brother spoke.

Averting his eyes from the window, Atemu looked over at Seth who was staring at Yami with something akin to awe before looking at Seto with….hurt? So, if he was correct, it wasn't just innocent teasing and Yami, the ever more innocent and sensitive one of them, had picked up on that.

Turning his head just a bit more but not enough to give his intentions away, Atemu watched Seth again out of the corner of his eye. And what he saw almost made him feel guilty. The older Kaiba was looking between him and Yami with longing, jealousy and wistfulness.

Inwardly, he frowned as he looked back out the window as the rest of them sat in silence. He couldn't imagine what it must be like to be a twin and yet be so far apart that you might as well have been strangers instead of siblings. He and Yami had always been extremely close, even to the point that their annoying little habit of saying the same thing at the same time had grown so much that they often got teased about it. And that wasn't mentioning the fact that they seemed to be able to sense each other on a level that no one else could understand. But for all its strange and annoying quirks, he wouldn't change a thing. And to be like Seth and Seto? That thought sent shivers down his spine that even he couldn't suppress.

* * *

"I can't believe this is our stealth vehicle."

Malik cocked his head curiously, giving Bakura a quizzical glance. "It didn't seem to bother you on the ride up here."

Bakura sighed. "I was pretending it wasn't real."

The two of them were standing in the theater parking lot, watching as the two sets of twins climbed into the Kaibas' expensive SUV. They had followed the others outside and rushed to Malik's car to trail the twins on the rest of their date; but Malik's car wasn't exactly the ideal vehicle for tracking someone and remaining unseen.

In short, it stood out worse than a zebra in a herd of elephants.

If anyone had had any doubts about Malik's sexuality, they would have been instantly removed at the sight of his car. The blond freshman drove a baby blue Volkswagen Beetle with a black car bra fitted over the front. Enormous multicolored flower stickers decorated the bra, with a matching smiley-face flower attached to the car's antenna. The license plate was a specialty environmental plate, pictures of deer and a pond covering the sheet of metal, and a tiny model of a woman hula dancing bobbed back and forth in the back window. The interior of the car matched the flower stickers on the bumper, purple seat covers and a matching steering wheel cover liberally adorned with flowers. The blonde even had a lai wrapped around his rearview mirror, in keeping with the gaudy theme.

It was almost enough to make Bakura gag. However, as Atemu and the others pulled out of the parking lot the white-haired sophomore decided he didn't have time to be picky and climbed into the front seat beside his blond friend. "Hurry up and follow them!" he ordered.

"Can do," Malik replied cheerfully, and tore out of the parking lot at full speed, suddenly enough to make Bakura grip the edges of his seat in surprise. The blonde whistled amiably for a few seconds until he caught up with the others in the heavy traffic, making sure to keep a couple of cars between himself and the Kaibas' SUV.

Then he did something that made Bakura's eyes bug out in pure horror.

Malik reached up and pulled a CD from the CD holder attached to his sun visor and slid it into his CD player, turning the volume up full blast. Then the tanned freshman enthusiastically began to sing along with the woman's soulful, heartfelt ballad.

"_Near, far, where- eeeeever you are, just know that, my heart will, go oooo-on!_"

Bakura gaped.

"It's so SAD!" Malik shouted over the music. "She let him go! She's such a liar! She promised she would never let go!"

"He was already dead! What was she supposed to do?"

"Why couldn't they have taken turns sitting on that door?" The blonde gave a depressed-sounding sniff, and Bakura just shook his head. He couldn't believe they were arguing over this. He was sitting in the most god-awful car he had ever seen, listening to the most god-awful song he had ever heard, following a couple of rich snobs to god-knew-where.

And he _could_ have been getting laid. Had he done something to give himself bad karma?

The white-haired teen glanced over at his friend. Malik had stopped singing and seemed to be focusing on driving, a tiny vertical line appearing between his eyebrows as he screwed up his thin, tanned face in concentration. The corners of his lips pulled downward in a slight frown.

The sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach told Bakura the frown had something to do with him, so the sophomore reached over and turned down the radio. "Bubbles."

"Mmm?" Malik kept his eyes on the road.

"Is something wrong?"

"No."

"Don't lie to me," Bakura growled, annoyance lacing the blunt command.

"Why do you care? You're not exactly the type to worry about people."

"What makes you think you know what type I am?"

Malik was silent for a moment; when he finally spoke it wasn't to answer Bakura's question, but to voice another question of his own. "You and Atemu, you really _don't_ mind what each other does, do you? I don't… I can't understand that. It just doesn't make sense to me, how you can care enough about a person to sleep with them – even to kiss them – but at the same time have it not mean _anything_. I mean, I'm a guy too, though it may not seem like it sometimes," Malik smiled crookedly, "so I understand about having needs, but I would rather take care of things myself forever than have casual partners who had casual partners of their own…"

The blonde trailed off as Bakura watched him, feeling more and more guilty. He should have known Bubbles was the sensitive type. Malik liked to flirt, even tease a little, but the white-haired teen could tell he had gone too far by kissing him in the movie theater. Malik seemed really upset. Deciding not to be a _complete_ jerk, at least this once, Bakura laid a hand on the other's shoulder. "I'm sorry," he muttered.

Wide violet eyes flickered over at him in surprise before turning back to the windshield. "What?"

"I'm sorry for kissing you. I was trying to hide from Atemu, and I panicked."

Malik smiled. "It's okay."

"Alright then." Satisfied, Bakura settled back into his seat, watching as the Kaibas' Escalade turned a corner.

The blonde turned the corner behind them before clearing his throat meaningfully. "You should know, though…"

"What?"

"No, never mind…"

"WHAT? Tell me!" Bakura demanded, looking over at his friend, who now wore a mischievous smirk.

"You _might_ want to work on your technique a little bit."

"What! What's wrong with my technique?"

"Oh, you know, just little things…"

"I'll have you know I'm a damn good kisser! That one just took me by surprise! I was in a hurry!"

"If you say so…"

"Damn right I say so! Let me try it again! I'll prove it!"

"I don't know, Kura…"

"Aw, come on! Just a little one! You'll enjoy it, I promise…"

* * *

"Well, here we are. I thought a game of mini-golf might be fun…" Seto trailed off awkwardly, the feeble words slicing like a knife through the thick silence that still hung in the car. Yami nodded wordlessly and opened his door, the younger Kaiba quickly following him into the parking lot.

Seth reached for the handle of his own door, only to find the action stopped by a slender, tanned hand. "Wait." At the gentle command, the brunet glanced curiously over at a pair of scarlet eyes that gazed at him seriously. "Give them a moment," Atemu muttered.

Seth snorted. "Why should I? I don't want to be stuck in here alone with _you_."

Atemu's eyes narrowed, but he explained calmly, "They need a moment in private. Your brother may have put his foot in his mouth, but I know Yami likes him and I want to give them a chance to smooth things over without us ruining it."

"Again, why should I bother? What do I care if Seto ruins his chances with your brother? You heard him; we're not like the two of you. We're bound together by blood but that doesn't mean we have to like each other. It just means we're stuck together."

Atemu lowered his eyes. "Blood is not important to everyone. Just because someone is related to you doesn't mean he is obligated to spend time with you," the smaller teen said quietly.

A niggling bit of curiosity prodded Seth to ask what the other meant by that remark, but he ignored it, instead simply turning back to his darkened window and muttering, "I'm beginning to think Seto agrees with you."

The other didn't answer, so Seth counted slowly to ten before reaching for his door handle once again. "Wait! They're still talking! _Idioto._"

The blue-eyed sophomore whirled, glaring at crimson eyes that were narrowed in annoyance. "I know what that means!"

"_Probablemente porque eres un idioto. Reconoces tu propio tipo_." Probably because you are an idiot. You recognize your own kind.

"What? What does _that_ mean?"

But Atemu merely smirked, glancing out his window once more at Seto and Yami. When he saw the taller male slip his hand into Yami's, the older Mutou twin sighed in resignation and opened his door, Seth quickly following suit. As they approached the now-smiling couple, Seth hissed wickedly in Atemu's ear. "I'm going to find out what that means, you know. Don't think you can have an advantage over me because you speak a language I don't understand. I took three years of French in high school! How would you like it if I started badmouthing you in French?"

Atemu merely gave him a bored glance and kept walking.

* * *

Meanwhile, Seto had been busy digging his way out of the black hole his mouth had plunged him into. When Yami had gotten out of the car, giving Seto that disappointed scarlet stare, the brunet felt as if his insides had shriveled and died. He was barely an hour into his first date with the fiery little Latino and already it looked like he would never even get to first base. Even Seth had had a chance to taste his Latin heartthrob, though Seto wasn't sure he wanted to know the details of _that_ story, and here he was striking out with Yami, who up until about five minutes before had actually seemed to like him.

Suddenly Yami stopped, a short distance from the car, and Seto hurried to catch up with him. His back facing the brunet, Yami sighed. "Well, I guess we should talk."

The younger Kaiba started to look back at Atemu and Seth, but without even turning around, Yami added, "Don't bother. Atemu's still in the car." Raising an eyebrow, Seto glanced back anyway, and sure enough his brother and Atemu were still sitting in the back of the SUV, glaring daggers at each other.

"How did you know that?"

Yami shrugged, finally turning to look at his date. "I know my brother. He's giving us time to talk, so let's talk." The smaller male crossed his arms across his chest and stared up at Seto expectantly.

"Yami… I… what?"

When Seto just stuttered and stared back at him in obvious confusion, Yami sighed once more, his folded arms loosening and falling to his sides. "Seto… I'm sorry. I admit I'm attracted to you," his cheeks reddened slightly, "and I wanted this date to go well, but it's just been a disaster. I know it's mostly my fault – I should never have pushed for Atemu to go – but I still can't be sure, because let's face it. I don't really know you. And the bit of you I've seen tonight scares me. How can I like someone who deliberately tortures his family?"

"You're attracted to me?" A half-grin, half-smirk spread across Seto's cheeks.

"_That_ would be the part you pick up on," Yami muttered, shaking his head, though he smiled slightly as well.

Taking advantage of the other's momentary goodwill, Seto reached out and brushed the heavy blond bangs from Yami's face, taking note of how the smaller male's breath hitched and how he leaned slightly into the action. "Listen, Yami, what you have to understand is that Seth and I aren't like you and Atemu. I envy your relationship with your brother, I really do, but everyone can't be like that. Our family has never been extremely close; in fact, none of the Kaibas are that close to _anyone_. Seth and I don't always get along, but he is my brother, and we definitely don't enjoy 'torturing' each other. It just amuses me to see someone finally get the best of him, since he's admittedly a genius and always seems to have the upper hand. Besides, I'm sure that after tonight he'll find a way to get me back for setting him up with Atemu."

Yami looked up and met the other's intense blue gaze, uncertainty still wavering on the Latino's thin features. "But you seemed like you really wanted to hurt him…"

"Then I apologize. Perhaps I took things too far. Now let's start over, shall we?" Seto reached out and took Yami's hand, smirking devilishly when the other shifted his fingers so they twined with the brunet's. "You want to know something else?" Yami nodded, so Seto leaned close and whispered in his ear, causing the smaller teen's cheeks to glow scarlet. "I'm attracted to you, too."

* * *

"So, exactly what is this game?" Yami asked as he eyed the small green ball in his hand before glancing over to see his twin pick up a red one. Figured. Atemu usually only dealt with either red or black and since there weren't any black balls…

"Do you have golf in Costa Rica?" Seto picked up a yellow ball after paying the man for their games.

Atemu snorted as he eyed the clubs lying on the counter with something akin to distrust. "Of course. But that's for the rich. The rest of us have better things to do with our time and money."

"You got something against rich people?" Seto inquired with narrowed eyes as Seth took a club and began to swing it slightly, testing the length out.

"Actually, I do. You rich Americans come in and plow over the rain forests and…."

"Atemu! Please, not again."

Something like a growl and a sigh escaped Atemu's lips as he blindly reached over and picked up a club. "Fine Mocoso."

Smiling slightly, Yami reached for a club also only to be stopped when Seto held out one for him to take. "Thank you."

He nodded his head. "So what's up with this Mocoso he keeps calling you?"

Yami looked at him sheepishly. "It means brat. Atemu has this thing about nicknames. He's called me Mocoso ever since I can remember."

"Brat huh?" That sexy smirk was back causing Yami to blush as he nodded his head. "Well, then I think from now on you will be _my_ brat."

Crimson eyes narrowed with a snarl as Yami giggled cutely at Seto while they casually began to walk toward the first hole. How dare that annoying, rich-ass, son of a bitch…. His hand clutched the ball tightly until his knuckles turned white, seething as he followed behind the new couple, his mind not registering Seth quietly following behind him.

When they reached the small pad at the beginning of the felt-green course, Atemu watched, still fuming as Seto began to explain the finer points of the game. He wasn't listening but watching the other twin with hawk-like eyes, following his every move until Seto moved in behind Yami – extremely close – and wrapped his long arms around his brother, head bent, whispering into Yami's ear and causing the smaller male's cheeks to redden even more than before.

With a cry of outrage, Atemu launched the small ball in his hands and watched with smug satisfaction as it pelted the taller teen in the back of his head, making him yelp in pain and jerk away from Yami.

"Great aim." Seth said beside him, not taking his eyes off of the other set of twins as they both glared daggers at Atemu.

"I got a lot of practice at home," he replied nonchalantly with a shrug of his shoulders, feeling much better now that he had exacted a bit of revenge.

"Atemu! How could you do that! I can't believe you…."

"Really?" Both of them watched intently as Seto picked up the red ball and tossed it up and down in his hand while looking at Atemu with as much distaste as he could muster.

"Yeah, you see, back home I used to practice my aim by throwing rocks at coconuts still attached to the trees." Atemu didn't even flinch as Seto launched the ball back at him and was mildly surprised when Seth's hand suddenly was in front of his face, catching it before it could do any damage. His crimson eyes spared Seth a glance as a silent thank you.

"Interesting."

"But he's not a coconut Atemu! He's a human for Christ's sake! You could have hurt him!"

"Oh?" Now Atemu decided to address his brother. "You could have fooled me. I could have sworn it was a coconut I was aiming for. I mean they both have brown hair on the outside and are completely _empty_ on the inside."

A low rumbling of laughter beside him caught his attention. Taking his eyes off the disappointed look his brother was giving him, he looked over at Seth who was practically doubled over in mirth.

"Seto the coconut!" Seth snickered at his brother's scowling face, which caused Atemu to smirk a bit at the situation. He was still pissed that Seto had taken his own personal nickname for his brother – not to mention the bastard was seconds away from groping Yami – but somehow Seth laughing at his brother's expense eased his anger some.

Strange.

"I am so sorry Seto!" Atemu rolled his eyes. "I don't know what's gotten into him." He could just feel his brother's glare. "Don't worry; I'll knock some sense into him when we get back to the dorm." He flinched. Ouch, girly slaps hurt like….well, like a bitch.

"He punch hard?" Hmm, Seth must have seen him flinch.

"Punch?" Atemu snorted. "The day Yami learns how to actually punch will be _el día que el infierno congele_."

"Excuse me?"

Crimson eyes blinked before it clicked. "Oh, sorry. I tend to do that from time to time. I said it would be the day when hell freezes over."

A comfortable silence fell between them as they watched with equal stoic expressions on their faces as Yami stood on his tiptoes and carefully parted Seto's hair looking for any signs of blood. But to Atemu, the scene was familiar, reminding him of monkeys in a tree grooming each other's fur looking for bugs. Needless to say, it was _very _hard to keep his mouth shut.

* * *

"Okay, now just try to be inconspicuous. And don't forget to turn off the flash on that thing!"

Malik gave Bakura a mock-salute with a golf club. The two of them had had to actually pay for a game of mini-golf before the attendant would let them on the course, so now they were stuck hauling a couple of clubs and some gaudy neon golf balls around while they took blackmail pictures. Bakura supposed it didn't matter. After all, it would be easier to blend in with the crowd that way; plus he could always whack Bubbles over the head with the club if he started getting too annoying.

"Hey, I think that's them over there… Omigosh, Atemu just hit Seto over the head with a golf ball!"

"Where?" Bakura whipped his head around in all directions until he spotted the twins a few yards away from them, half-hidden behind a couple of grandparents out with their snot-nosed brat, who was letting out an annoying siren cry. Bakura was tempted to copy Atemu and knock the kid out with a well-placed ball to the head. "Crap, I can't believe I missed that," he muttered to himself. "Bubbles, you've gotta be more vigilant. I want embarrassing photos!"

"Aye, aye, Captain Kura!" Malik cried, with another golf-club salute.

Bakura stared at him. "You are so weird."

The pair made their way slowly around the course, occasionally snapping pictures of the others, who seemed to get along, other than Seth and Atemu's constant glares. Seto and Yami were lost in their own world, walking close together and whispering in each other's ears. Seth and Atemu just kept their mouths shut and ignored each other – besides the aforementioned glares, of course.

About halfway through the course, Bakura got bored with this and decided to take matters into his own hands. "This sucks," he declared. The white-haired teen thought for a moment until, smirking wickedly, he snatched the golf club from Malik and grasped the other's hand. "Come on."

"Kura? What are you doing?"

"I _said _don't call me Kura, and we're getting closer. We'll never get any good pictures this way." The two cut in front of the old couple and the kid, until they were only a few feet behind the twins, who had reached a section of the course guarded by a giant metal gorilla, swinging his arms back and forth over the path to the hole. Fake bushes lined the area, and Bakura dragged Malik behind them, the tops of their fair hair and their eyes the only part of them visible as they spied on their friends.

From this proximity, snatches of conversation drifted in their direction as Yami moved to attempt his shot. The younger Latino twin aimed for a moment; then sighed, shaking his head at the gaudy metal gorilla. "This is… strange, Seto. How am I supposed to get past that thing?"

Seto smirked. "It's all about timing; though it helps if you have a better grip on the club, too. Here, let me show you." He stepped up behind the smaller teen, pressing his entire body along Yami's back as he wrapped his hands around the golf club, showing Yami the "proper" hold.

Atemu growled audibly.

Behind the bushes, Bakura turned to his protégé. "Camera ready?" he whispered. When Malik nodded, the white-haired male aimed; then hurled one of his golf balls with all his might. It hit Seto squarely in the back.

"OW! Shit! Do you people _never_ quit throwing things!"

"Atemu! For the last time, leave Seto alone!"

"It wasn't me, I swear!"

Yami eyed him suspiciously. "Well then, who was it?"

The older twin held up his left hand, showing the others the red ball firmly grasped between his fingers. "I don't know, but it wasn't me." He faced two skeptical glares and one amused smirk – courtesy of Seth – for a few seconds before the others finally shrugged and went back to their game.

Bakura and Malik snickered. "Did you get that?" the sophomore whispered.

"Yep!" Malik showed the other an image snapped in the half-second after the ball hit Seto's back, of the brunet twisting crazily and grimacing in pain while Yami looked on, wide-eyed, in the background.

"Perfect!" Bakura gloated, and the two turned back to watch the progressing golf game. They waited until Yami and the Kaibas had all taken their turns and Atemu stepped into place, concentrating carefully. He pulled his club back to swing…

…and Bakura let out an earsplitting, screeching whistle.

Atemu let go of the club in shock and it went flying through the air where – whether through a horrible act of fate or Bakura's own wonderfully devious planning, the white-haired male couldn't be sure – it hit Seth directly in the crotch. The older Kaiba let out a high-pitched shriek and clutched his groin, falling to the felt-green course and curling in on himself.

"Oh god, are you okay? What was that noise?" Atemu gasped, attempting to sound worried and repentant, though a few uncontrollable snorts of laughter slipped out anyway.

Yami looked on with wide-eyes, though he covered his face with a hand to hide his smile; but Seto laughed openly at his brother. "Ha! What are the odds? Your date finally stops throwing things at me and hits you with something by accident!"

Seth struggled to climb into an upright position, but when he moved he let out a whine of pain and dropped back down to the ground. "Shut up! This is all your fault, Seto!"

"My fault? I'm not the one making a fool of myself."

"Just you wait, you little…"

Malik tapped Bakura on the shoulder, interrupting his view of the argument. "Camera's full," the blonde whispered, showing Bakura the last few shots of Seth writhing around on the ground, holding his crotch.

Bakura nodded. "Alright. I think we're done here, anyway." He glanced back at the two sets of twins, all four of whom were shouting now and gesticulating wildly – except for Seth, of course, whose hands were busy in other places – and grinned, slinging an arm around Malik's shoulders.

"You know, Bubbles, we make a pretty good team."


	7. Chapter 7

**For Spanish translations, go to my Live Journal. Link is in my bio.**

**WARNING: LIMES ALL AROUND**

* * *

**Chapter 7 **

"Bakura… Kura… Wake up, _mi esclavo_..."

Three voices, all of them husky and seductive, lured Bakura from the realm of sleep and urged him to open his eyes.

"Wake up, Bakura…"

The white-haired male blinked slowly a few times, yawning and stretching as the world came into focus, and when it did his eyes bulged out in wonder. He was sitting on an enormous four-poster canopy bed, draped in rainbow-tinted silk and loaded with soft feather pillows, in a room that was empty save for the thick carpet and wide-open windows, hung with curtains the same shades as the canopy bed that billowed in the wind.

But best of all… best of all were the three people standing before him, decked out in nothing but a bit of silk and a smile. His harem! As Bakura stared in wonder Yami approached him, hips swaying seductively and a layer of recently-applied massage oil glistening on his lightly tanned skin. Yami wore nothing but sheer white silk pants, made in the billowy style of a harem girl, a narrow strip of thicker cloth the only thing hiding his essentials.

Bakura felt out of place in his t-shirt and jeans. But not for long.

"Let me help you with that," Yami whispered huskily in Bakura's ear, his strong pink tongue lapping at the white-haired male's neck as he tugged at Bakura's shirt. The garment quickly slid to the ground, Yami following behind it, his lips painting a wet trail from Bakura's throat all the way down the middle of his chest to his navel. The crimson-eyed teen nipped lightly at the sensitive skin just below the other's bellybutton before pulling away.

"Mmm, we can't let you have all the fun, can we, Yami?" Bakura's eyes slid over to Malik as the blonde spoke for the first time, the white-haired sophomore's eyes widening appreciatively at the sight of him. Malik wore pants identical to Yami's, except the blonde's were lavender and seemed to sparkle, somehow. Plus, Malik was practically dripping in gold – gold earrings, gold necklace, a gold belly chain with extra length dangling deliciously over his crotch, and two heavy gold bracelets designed to be locked to something… though what, Bakura had yet to discover.

As Bakura watched, Yami slipped away from him, moving back to his original position; but as he passed Malik the two locked eyes and paused for a very wet, slippery, _hot_ kiss. Malik's tongue jerked in a quick action that Bakura couldn't quite catch, but whatever it was it caused Yami to let out a rumbling moan of pure pleasure that made Bakura's dick suddenly jump to full attention at the sound.

"Yami… you'd better get your hot little ass back over here," Bakura ground out, through gritted teeth. "Malik you too."

The kissing pair exchanged glances and smiled. "Of course, Bakura, anything you say," Yami replied.

"We want only your pleasure," Malik added, the long belly chain clinking as he approached Bakura and knelt at his feet. The two made quick work of Bakura's jeans and boxers, Yami tossing the garments carelessly somewhere onto the floor as Malik slowly stretched out over the white-haired teen, the long belly-chain a harsh cold contrast to Bakura's heated skin when it tickled his chest.

Then Malik kissed him. A half-second of nibbles and teasing licks on Bakura's bottom lip was his only warning before the nearly-nude freshman plunged his tongue into the other's mouth, swirling the thick muscle with a quick, sudden movement that made Bakura gasp in surprised pleasure. He wondered if it was the same move Malik had used on Yami.

Speaking of Yami… the spiky haired teen took Malik's place kneeling at Bakura's feet, snickering wickedly, and wrapped his oil-coated fingers around the sophomore's raging erection. He stroked it slowly, teasingly, and Bakura moaned around Malik's mouth. "Ngh… Don't stop…" he groaned.

"Of course not. We want only your pleasure," the two answered simultaneously. Then, as one, they rose and began to back away.

Bakura moaned in frustration. "Get… Y'all get back here, _now_!"

"But Kura," Malik said, innocently batting his eyes, "wouldn't you have more fun if you were in control? If we were at your mercy?" With that, he backed up all the way to the wall and raised his arms expectantly. Yami was immediately at his side, hooking Malik's gold bracelets to thick golden chains suspended from the wall that Bakura had somehow missed in his previous inspection of the room. When the spiky-haired male finished connecting the chains he backed away, leaving Bakura with a view of the blonde, nearly nude and exposed and – as he had said – completely at the other's mercy.

"We want only your pleasure," Malik breathed for the third time, staring at Bakura through half-lidded eyes. Bakura took a step toward his captive, ready to ravish the other, when a deep, husky voice from behind him stopped him in his tracks.

"Bakura." The white-haired teen turned at the sound, gasping at what he saw. Atemu stood behind him, smirking as if he knew he were the sexiest creature ever to walk the planet – and as far as Bakura was concerned, he was. The tanned twin wore the same mouth-watering black mesh boxers he had worn under his torn jeans during his disastrous date; except now there were no pants – torn or otherwise – to hinder Bakura's view. Atemu's skin glimmered like his brother's, coated in generous layers of scented oil, and he wore heavy gold bands around his wrists and ankles, designed to hook to chains, though Bakura didn't particularly feel like tearing his gaze away from Atemu long enough to look for them. Finally, around the scarlet-eyed male's slender neck lay a thick black collar, unmarked save for the clasp just under his Adam's apple, where a long gold chain was attached, dangling almost to Atemu's bare feet.

Bakura shoved a fist in his mouth.

Atemu smirked even wider, gently reaching up and tugging the other's hand from his face. "I can think of better things to do with that hand," he whispered, leaning in to lick the shell of Bakura's ear as he guided Bakura's hand down to his own growing erection. "Mmm… _mi esclavo_… See how hot you make me? Just looking at you is enough to turn me on."

The tanned male let go of Bakura's hand and sank down to his knees, letting his fingertips trace lightly over the other's sides, and Bakura had to fight back a moan. "Oh Bakura… you make me so hot… please, just let me taste you…" On his knees now in front of the other, Atemu gave a long, leisurely lick to the underside of Bakura's penis, and the white-haired male did moan; loud and uncontrollably as Atemu fully engulfed his member in his mouth, the wet, wet heat almost too much to bear…

"Bakura! Open up!"

"AHH!" Bakura snapped awake, eyes narrowing into slits as the pounding on his door increased. How dare they interrupt his fantasy! He was so going to kill whoever was behind that door. Throwing the covers off of him, hissing slightly as they brushed his prominent arousal, he all but stomped over to the door and threw it open, ready to throttle the fool that interrupted him.

"Good morning to you too, Kura. You always greet people this way?" Amused crimson eyes traveled down his pale naked body, lingering longer than necessary at the hard-on Bakura was sporting. "Happy to see me or am I interrupting something?"

"Actually, you were." He grabbed Atemu's arm and roughly pulled him inside, quickly shutting the door, only to push the Latino against it with a rather loud thud. "And I believe you can make it up to me now." Bakura smirked wickedly as leaned forward and began kissing the smooth skin of Atemu's neck, leaving wet marks trailing from his ear to the base of his shoulder.

Golden hands reached around to Bakura's back, the fingers ghosting over his pale skin sending wonderful shivers down his spine and the moan from the other's lips only serving to fuel his rampaging arousal.

"Bed? Floor? Wall?" Atemu whispered, his voice already laced with lust, as he cupped Bakura's ass with one hand and snaked his fingers around his lover's dick, giving it a few harsh strokes.

Resting his head against the dark blue sleeveless t-shirt covered shoulder, he panted as he let Atemu's hands tease him. "Bed. Strip, I'll join you in a moment."

Reluctantly, Bakura pulled back from Atemu and walked over to his closet. Throwing open the door, he bent down and began rummaging through the various dirty clothes that he had a habit of throwing on the floor.

"What are you looking for?"

He glanced back, licking his lips when the vision of a fully naked Atemu crawling on top of his bed met his eyes. Mentally, he praised whatever higher being was in control of the universe for granting him with the sexiest lover ever known to man. His dick twitched as Atemu seated himself against the rickety headboard, spread his legs and began to stroke himself, dark crimson eyes half closed as they locked onto his.

Bakura shook his head, trying to gather his thoughts. "Umm…." He scowled as Atemu laughed at him. "Camera… yeah, trying to find the video camera that my cousin Ryou gave me last year. I always keep it in here and charged, even though I never use it."

"Oh? And what makes you want to use it now?"

"Ah ha!" he shouted when he finally found the elusive object, and turned around with a wicked grin on his face as he carefully stepped over the pile of clothes he had thrown over his shoulder while he was searching. "We are going to make that porno," he said as he sat the camera down on the desktop and fiddled with it until the lens was where he wanted it to be.

Atemu stared at him incredulously, not quite sure if he had heard right – or if it was such a good idea – but he quickly threw his doubts aside when Bakura crawled over to him, gently pushed his legs down and covered his body with his paler one. He sighed into the heated kiss that he received; allowing his body to respond to his lover's demands even if this was something he had never done before. Sure it wasn't much, just something recording them – him – as they had sex but still….

But then again, he mused as Bakura's heated mouth slowly, torturously descended down the length of his member, he would do whatever Bakura wanted to make sure the other stayed.

* * *

Seth stifled the impending moan that threatened to escape his lips as his hand vigorously ran up and down his dick, his mind playing out vulgar images of Atemu writhing beneath his larger body, that deliciously tanned skin glistening with a light coat of sweat, his name spilling from full, kiss-bruised lips.

Faintly, he remembered how he had gotten to this state – lying there on his bed, jacking himself off, thinking of someone that didn't share his infatuation. It had been some dream he knew, but what it was about he couldn't quite lay his finger on. All he knew was that he had woken, startled, and panting with a hard-on that he couldn't ignore.

His body tensed, his hips bucking slightly as he came in his hand, spilling his seed onto his chest. Seth's breath came in uneven gasps as he came down from his self-induced high.

Swallowing, trying to bring moisture to his dry throat, he ran his clean hand through his still sleep-tousled hair. Atemu was starting to become an obsession, one he wasn't sure was too healthy or not. Clearly, the guy didn't like him. The Latino constantly toyed with him, continuously outdid him, and was never far from throwing some insult his way. And yet, Seth was still drawn to him, still thought about him, and apparently now fantasized about him.

But even with all that, things that most people would have turned away from, Seth still envied him in some ways. Atemu had a carefree attitude, not really minding what people thought about him. Their parents, from what Yami had told Seto last night on their date during one of the few times no one was arguing, were thousands of miles away back in Costa Rica. So they were free of them, totally independent in another country.

And the biggest thing of all, Atemu and Yami were close. It was plain as day, now that he had seen it with his own eyes, that they loved each other more than anything else.

What the hell did that feel like?

He shook his head as he got up and made his way to the shower. That was something he would probably never know but something he was beginning to wish for more and more as time went on. Too bad Seto didn't feel the same.

* * *

"…so one of the employees brought him an ice pack, and he had to hold it against his crotch the whole ride home. I guess you could say it was a complete disaster; but Seto admitted he was attracted to me, so… I don't know. You've been on American dates before, right Malik? Did any of them turn out like that?"

The blond laughed, shaking his head and adjusting his slightly-too-small neon green Fudpucker's t-shirt as he and Yami walked into Yami's dorm room. "Sorry little twin, I think that experience is all yours."

The spiky-haired teen sighed, shutting the door behind him. "I was afraid of that." He ran all ten fingers through his hair from scalp to tip, making it stick up even more wildly all over his head. "I don't know what to do, Malik; I really like Seto, but I'm afraid that after last night he won't want anything to do with me… and I don't mean to blame it on Atemu but… well, to be honest I've never really dated anyone before. Atemu's always been really protective of me; like a parent to me. Sometimes he can go a little overboard, I suppose."

Malik smiled and sat down on Yami's bed, patting the mattress beside him in invitation, and Yami sat beside his friend only to have his head immediately forced into Malik's lap while the blond played with his hair, twisting the spikes into numerous tiny braids. "Older brothers are like that. I remember when I dated Rishid, my brother Marik was furious. When Rishid came over to pick me up for a date Marik shoved him up against the wall and held a knife to his throat to scare him away. I don't know what he'd do if he ever found out we slept together…" Malik laughed. "Marik's a little crazy," he explained.

"I never would have guessed," Yami retorted dryly, his scarlet eyes closing as he gradually relaxed under the soothing touch of Malik's fingers in his hair. "Malik?" he questioned softly. "Do you think I really have a chance with Seto?"

"Yes," the other replied simply, and Yami smiled. Malik just kept braiding.

"I'm not like Atemu," the scarlet-eyed freshman continued after a moment. "I know we're identical, but I'm not like him at all. He's so… beautiful, and exotic, and he's not afraid to be intimate with someone, even if there's no strings attached. Like with him and Bakura…"

Malik's fingers stopped moving for a moment before he resumed his braids, his fingers shaking slightly. "Yes?" Malik prodded breathily. "What about Bakura?"

Yami sighed. "Oh, you know… He and Atemu were barely friends for a day before they slept together. I hate it; I worry about Atemu sometimes, you know, even if he and Bakura are close now. But still sometimes I wish that I could be as relaxed about sex as my brother."

"B-Bakura really seems to like Atemu, doesn't he? Are they a couple now, d-do you think?" Malik's voice cracked and Yami frowned suspiciously, rolling over onto his back so he could get a better look at his friend's face as Malik began braiding his bangs. Malik seemed uncomfortable with the idea… though Yami couldn't figure out why…

"No, they're not a couple. I don't think they ever will be; Atemu's got Bakura stuck firmly in the 'friend' position now. It'd take something pretty drastic to work his way up to boyfriend rank. Atemu's got a system; though don't ask me to explain it. It's complicated and I don't really understand it myself. Anyway they're just friends."

"A system?" Malik furrowed his brow and shook his head, laughing lightly. "Your brother is something else, little twin." Finished with the bangs, the blond shifted Yami's head on his lap and went to work on the other side of his hair.

"'Something else'? What does that mean?" Yami asked curiously. "Is that good or bad?"

The other chuckled once more. "Sometimes I forget you're not from around here. It's a good thing. It means he's unique."

"Oh. Yeah, he is that." The two fell into silence, each occupied with their own thoughts, until Malik spoke up again.

"Yami?"

"Hmm?"

"What do you think it was about Atemu that made Kura want to… you know…?"

"Sleep with him?"

"Yeah."

"No sé, Burbujas. I really couldn't say."

"Oh." Malik sighed. "It was probably his looks. He is gorgeous. But then, you look just like him, so… I don't know…"

Yami laughed. "Did you just call me gorgeous?"

"You're irresistible, my little twin friend," the other replied absently. "But it must have been more than looks… I bet it's his attitude. Atemu's got this spicy, sultry aura…"

As the blond stared off into space, still braiding thoughtlessly, Yami gazed up at him in wonder. From the way Malik was talking about his brother, it almost seemed like Malik… liked him. That was unexpected – though not necessarily a bad thing, Yami mused. Malik could be good for Atemu; though the blond was a little ditzy, he genuinely cared about his friends, and he certainly didn't seem like the type to have meaningless one-night stands, like most of the men his brother attracted. It would be good for Atemu to have a steady relationship for once with someone who didn't share his genetic makeup.

Yami grinned. He'd definitely have to pursue this.

"So you think Atemu is good-looking, huh?"

"Yeah… He certainly got a reaction out of those mesh boxers, and not just from Kaiba…"

Yami snorted. "I told him those were trashy— Hey! How did you know about those?"

But Malik merely finished braiding his last strand of Yami's hair and patted him on the cheek. "There! All done, beautiful!"

The crimson-eyed teen sat up and patted his head, feeling the dozens of tight braids sticking out all over his head. "Dios mio, Malik, what did you do?" he groaned. "My hair is going to be all crimped tomorrow… I need a mirror…" Yami wandered off into the bathroom, Malik snickering before standing up and stretching lazily.

"I'm bored; want to watch a movie or something?"

"Sure; the tapes are all piled up by the TV. Ugh, my hair is sticking out worse than usual! I look like that redheaded girl with the freaky braids that stick out sideways! Malik, undo this!" Yami came back into the room, scowling.

"You guys still use tapes? That's weird," Malik said, rifling through the stacks of movies.

Yami sat back down on the bed. "We have one of those combo things. Didn't want to re-buy old movies on DVD."

"Ah. What's this one here, on top? It doesn't have a label."

"I don't know, must be Atemu's. Stick it in and we'll see."

Malik slid the tape into the VCR, turning on the television before he sat back on the bed beside Yami. "It looked like a blank tape; there may be nothing on it," the blond commented thoughtfully as static filled the screen. Yami shrugged and they watched a few more seconds; but just before they were about to give up and shut off the tape an image popped onto the screen, blurry at first, but then the image shifted and they could make out a face.

Bakura's.

Malik blinked. "Is this Bakura's tape? What is he doing?"

"I don't know…"

The white-haired sophomore grinned wickedly into the camera and winked. _"Video proof that Bakura Williams is the luckiest bastard that ever lived,"_ he drawled, and moved away from the camera, revealing a stark naked and highly aroused Atemu sprawled out across his bed.

_"¡Dios mio!"_ Yami shrieked.

"Oh my god…" Malik unknowingly echoed.

Bakura's face reappeared in front of the screen, the wicked grin still plastered across his face. "_This is going to be fun."_

Both of them stared, mouths agape at the small nineteen-inch screen TV. There was some perverse need to watch as the southerner slowly took Atemu's length into his mouth, making him emit various words in Spanish that caused Yami to involuntarily blush even more than he did when he first noticed it was his brother on the tape.

As if in a trance, Yami and Malik turned to face each other, identical looks of horror, shock, and curiosity on their faces. They stared at each other while the sounds from the video became louder.

"_Damnit Atemu, your ass is so damn tight!"_

"_¡Pares hablando y me cojas más fuerte!"_

Finally, they snapped put of their daze and made a mad scramble to get to the VCR-DVD combo, legs tripping each other as they hastily tried to get to the 'stop' button, causing them to fall unceremoniously to the floor.

"_¡Adelántete y cójame como un hombre!" _

Malik blinked as he and Yami untangled themselves. "What did he just say?"

"Malik! I am NOT going to repeat what my perverted brother said while he's…he's…"

"…having hot, kinky, wild, fantastic sex?"

"Yeah, that."

"_Más fuerte¡Ay Dios¡ya voy!"_

"Oh god Malik! You're closer, turn it off! That's my brother and there are some things that even twins shouldn't know about each other."

Nodding his head in agreement, Malik leaned forward and hit the stop button…

A rather large moan was heard_. "ATEMU!"_

"Cut it off Malik!"

"I did!" He pressed the button again. "It's not cutting off! You try!"

Quickly, Yami crawled over to Malik and repeated the same process only to get the same results. With a groan of frustration and annoyance, his hands gripped the multitude of braids and gave them a good yank, anything to keep his mind off of the TV…and that nice shot of Bakura's ass filling up the screen.

Somehow over the moans, pants, and sex talk, a knock at the door was heard and Malik got up to answer it while Yami continued to mentally berate his brother.

"_That's it my sexy little Spanish bitch, just like that!"_

"I knew you and Atemu were close, but this is disgusting."

Yami's head snapped around, his eyes going wide at the sound of that familiar, deep, smug voice broke through his thoughts of seriously harming his brother. Seeing Seto standing there with one eyebrow cocked, in a dark blue fraternity logo T-shirt, khaki shorts and flip flops, Yami's blush – which had died down by that point – flared back to life.

Malik giggled from somewhere behind the tall sophomore and Yami finally realized just what Seto had said when he entered his dorm room. Shaking his head violently, he responded in the most mature manner he could.

"What! No! No! No! Ewww! Gross!"

Seto just smirked as Yami turned back around and once again tried to get the tape to eject, stop, something, anything at that moment.

"Oh? Well then is this some sort of Costa Rican sex ed? 'How to ride an American redneck'?"

"Speaking of riding…." Malik broke in, "I didn't know that position was even humanly possible." All three sets of eyes watched as Atemu twisted around and…

"Bakura is going to break my brother's back if they stay like that!"

"_Hell yeah baby!"_

"Somehow, I think that's the last thing on his mind at the moment, Yami." Seto crossed his arms over his chest, trying his best to look disinterested in the whole thing.

"_Fuck me so hard I can taste it!"_

"Oh my god! Why won't it shut off?"

"_Come on baby, come on, that's it, just like that…. HELL YEAH!"_

"Why don't you just unplug it?"

Yami suddenly looked very sheepish as he scrambled back behind the TV, pulling the plug with a sigh as the room was finally blanketed in silence. With one final look at the screen, just to make sure it was truly off, Yami turned back to his friend and Seto. "What brings you by other than to witness my total humiliation?"

Flashing Yami a sexy smirk, he stepped forward a bit and knelt down in front of the Costa Rican. "I wanted to ask you if you would like to go out on a date again. _Without_ our brothers."

Smiling brightly, Yami nodded his head as Seto watched the action with faint amusement. "I would love too. So what day did you have in mind? Friday? Saturday?"

"Saturday, but it can't be this weekend. I have something important already set. But how about the following weekend?"

"Alright," Yami smiled again as Seto leaned in and gave him a quick kiss on the lips before he stood up and walked back to the door that Malik had opened up for him.

"Oh, and I love the Jamaican look."

Yami's perplexed look sent Malik into a fit of giggles as Seto walked out the door. Closing the door behind the blue-eyed man, Malik just smiled at his little twin friend's continued confused look and grabbed a piece of his own hair and pulled it away from the rest of it to show Yami what Seto meant and then pointed to Yami.

Cautiously, Yami placed his fingers on his head and felt around when realization dawned on him that Seto had seen his hair was still in braids….

"_BURBUJAS! VOY A MATARTE!_"


	8. Chapter 8

"About time you showed up."

Atemu flinched as he threw his overnight bag onto his bed. He had thought that he had snuck in quietly enough not to wake up his twin at five thirty in the morning. Apparently not though, and from the rare harshness in Yami's voice he was in big trouble.

Slowly, he turned around just as Yami pulled himself out from the covers and turned the small lamp by his bed on.

"I didn't mean to wake you Mocoso."

"Don't Mocoso me!"

Okay….his brother was really pissed. Of course one had to really know Yami to read the signs considering that glare he was sending Atemu's way couldn't even scare a puppy. Nope, it was all in the tone of voice. Yami's tended to take on a quiet, steely edge to it when he was mad.

With a sigh, he flopped backwards onto his bed then rolled onto his stomach. He had a feeling this was going to take a while so he might as well get comfortable. "So, what's got your panties in a bunch?"

There was that cute little glare again. "This," he stated as he pulled something hard and black out from under his pillow and threw it at his brother. But he threw it which such a force that Atemu fumbled with it, juggling it in his hands before it finally slipped through and crashed on the floor. Grabbing the edge of the bed, Atemu pulled himself forward till he could peer over the edge only for his eyes to widen when he realized what it was.

"Why do you have this?"

"It's not like I wanted to see your and Bakura's naked butts. And I don't think Seto and Malik wanted to see it either."

"T-they saw this?" Atemu gulped as he snatched the videotape up from the floor and quickly shoved it under his pillow. This was not good. He didn't want to do it in the first place and now other people had seen him…

"Yeah they saw it!" Yami fumed as he got up and began to pace the space between the two beds. "Why didn't you label it or something? Do you realize I got no sleep last night 'cause every time I closed my eyes I saw you…him….dirty deed!"

Atemu raised an eyebrow in amusement. "It's called sex Mocoso. S E X – sex. Now say it with me…."

"Atemu!"

"Geez, moody much?" The older twin sighed as Yami fixed him with another glare. "Look, I'm sorry ok? I never wanted you to see that, or anyone else for that matter. Hell, I never wanted to be video taped in the first place."

Yami stopped pacing when he saw his brother lower his head and close his eyes. Well, this was strange and not like Atemu at all. Normally, he would be defiant all the way to the end about things he did that Yami or others didn't approve of but now…he seemed almost remorseful.

"You really didn't want to do that did you?" Yami asked as he sat down beside his brother and began to run his hand through the other's hair.

"No," came the muffled reply and Yami started to open his mouth to speak again when he was cut off. "And I don't want to talk about it, so don't ask."

Biting his lip, Yami nodded his head, conceding to his brother's wishes. They rarely kept anything from each other, so they few times they did, they tried to respect each other's needs. He smiled when he felt his brother shift on the bed so Atemu could lay his head down on his lap, Yami's fingers still working through the silky strands.

Seeing his twin relax, he figured now was a good time to bring something up. "Atemu?"

"Hmmm?"

"What do you think of Burbujas?"

"Ummm, he's sexy, nice, more girly than you –OW! See that's what I'm talking about, damn girly slaps," he grumbled as he rubbed the top of his head. "Why?"

"Because, I think he likes you."

"What?" Wide crimson eyes looked up into Yami's. "You have got to be kidding me. There is no way he likes someone like me."

"There's nothing wrong with you." Yami frowned and flicked the tip of his brother's nose earning him a scowl. "Anyway, I think you should ask him out on a date."

"Did I accidentally hit you on the head with a golf ball the other day?"

"I'm serious Atemu."

"So am I. I could have sworn I only hit Seto."

"Atemu!"

"Fine." Atemu sat up, faced his brother and crossed his legs under him. "Why do you want me to ask him out?"

"Because I think he would be good for you. Someone stable, someone who would like for you for more than your body or how good you are."

He snorted in amusement. "That's all anyone cares about, haven't I told you that enough by now?"

"Seto's not like that."

"Are you sure about that?" Atemu asked earnestly. "He's male, he's rich and you could be nothing more than an exotic catch to him."

"Can we not talk about that? I'm sure he won't do anything to hurt me and in the meantime, I believe you have a date with Malik."

"I do? Since when? I never agreed to that."

"Since I said you were going."

"Mocoso…."

"Please? At least try it for me. Malik's really sweet and I swear you won't regret it."

Atemu sighed as he flopped back down on his bed, running his hands over his face. "Fine, I'll ask him. But if he wears anything pink I'm coming straight back here."

* * *

Five days later found Malik painstakingly applying glitter lip gloss in front of the floor-length mirror he had hung on his wardrobe door. The blond smacked his lips approvingly and twisted his body to get one last outfit check in before Atemu arrived. Black pants that framed his butt _just_ right, check. Boots with as little heel as possible – he didn't want to be too much taller than Atemu – check. Silver glittery sleeveless shirt that matched his lip gloss, check. Perfect. And of course his trademark gold armband and dangly gold earrings.

Satisfied with his appearance, Malik sat back on his futon to wait for Atemu, turning on Bravo in the meantime.

It was fun to be gay sometimes.

Malik didn't know why Atemu had asked him out – he suspected it had something to do with a fight with Bakura, maybe an attempt to get him jealous or something – but he had agreed readily enough. Atemu wasn't the one Malik wanted to be dating, but he was still hot, and since Atemu was one of his best friends he could be fairly sure the other wouldn't try to date-rape him at some gay bar or anything like that. Plus if he went out with Atemu, Malik was guaranteed at least a little attention from the white-haired object of his affections. All in all it would make for a fairly agreeable night.

After about ten minutes of watching some old Broadway musical on television Malik heard a knock at his door. It was Atemu of course, and when Malik caught sight of his date he had to grin. Yep, Atemu was hot alright, although, he was confused as why the Latino wasn't dressed up more and his style was _different._ Dressed in a pair of snakeskin black cowboy boots – giving him a couple of extra inches in height - black boot-cut jeans, an unbuttoned maroon colored long sleeved western shirt, revealing what Malik assumed was a plain black t-shirt underneath, topped off with a black leather belt embellished with silver conchos – Atemu looked every bit like a modern cowboy or redneck depending on how you looked at it.

"Howdy, ma'am. I reckon you're lookin' mighty fine this evening," Atemu drawled.

Malik blinked. Then burst out laughing. "Atemu, what the hell was that?"

The other attempted to look offended, though he couldn't help grinning a bit. "What? You didn't like my Southern accent?"

"First of all, that wasn't Southern, it was an eighty-year-old Texan in an insane asylum, and second I'm not a 'ma'am.' I happen to be male." Malik locked the door behind him and the two of them made their way down to Malik's car – they had agreed for the blond to drive, since Atemu and Yami didn't have a car, though Malik still didn't know where Atemu planned to go.

"You're male? I didn't know that – Ow! What's with all these girly slaps?"

"Hmph. Serves you right." Malik stuck out his tongue; then grinned. "So, where are we going?"

* * *

A knock at the door roused Bakura from a deep sleep and he stumbled to the door, yawning heavily. "Coming, coming," he muttered as he opened the door and registered the sight of spiky, tri-colored hair through his sleep-blurred eyes. "Atemu I was going to call you, I swear… I guess I fell asleep…"

"No, it's me."

"Huh?" Bakura rubbed his eyes. "Oh, Yami. What's up?"

"Nothing much." The other stepped inside and Bakura took the opportunity to check out Yami's ass under his tight jeans before closing the door. "I was wondering if you'd like to go down to the campus coffee shop with me. There's a pretty good musician playing tonight."

"A student?"

"Not sure, but I heard some people talking about him. Plus I'm in the mood for a cappuccino. Coming?"

"Let me in that hot little ass of yours and I will be."

Yami made a face. "Bakura!"

"Alright, alright, I repent. A guy can't even give someone a compliment these days." The sophomore scratched his head and walked to his wardrobe to change, tugging off his old t-shirt on the way. At the sight of Bakura shirtless Yami reddened, muttered something that sounded like "damn video," and moved to the other side of the room. Bakura raised an eyebrow at him. "Something wrong?"

"No," Yami replied – a little too quickly.

Bakura stared at him, but when Yami wouldn't meet his eyes he merely shook his head and muttered, "Whatever," grabbing a t-shirt that read "_Elect Nader 2004_" and pulling it over his head. A pair of jeans and some worn-out brown flip-flops later he and Yami were headed out the door.

"So where are Bubbles and your brother? Shouldn't that blond airhead be waxing your legs right now, or whatever the two of you do together?" Bakura paused. "Hey, that's kind of hot. Do you help Malik wax his bikini zone?"

Yami shoved him, though he couldn't help laughing. "No! You are such a pervert."

"What can I say, I'm gifted." He reached out and grabbed Yami's rear, only to receive a yelp and a slap to the side of the head.

"Stop hitting on me, I'm with Seto."

"The two of you have had one date, it's not like you're married."

"We're going out again next week."

"So?" Bakura wrapped his arm around Yami's waist as they reached the coffee house, the white-haired male holding open one of the glass doors for the other. "He's still not your boyfriend."

"Bakura…" Yami sighed. "Go find us a seat; I'll get us something to drink."

"French vanilla frappucino," Bakura said, watching the other's ass once again as he walked away. "Twins," he groaned under his breath. "How can I resist?"

* * *

Atemu grinned in amusement at his date. The poor guy didn't know what to stare at the most – him or the large wood-carved sign that hung on the building they just pulled up to. He never told Malik where they were going, just gave him directions to the place he picked out and now both of them still sat in Malik's ridiculous car while Malik tried to decide if this was a joke or not.

"_Hoedowns?"_ Malik asked when he finally got his voice back. "A country-western club with the motto '_You can't keep a good hoe down?' _You have got to be kidding me. Why this place?"

Atemu shrugged his shoulders, turning away from Malik's wide eyes and open mouth to look out the windshield. "I've been here in Atlanta a few months now and I've yet to experience anything 'Southern'," he replied by making air quotes with his fingers. "And I wanted to see what it was about but I also know that there are a lot of people from this area that frown on gays, so I spent all week researching places where we would be comfortable. The last thing I want is for our date to be ruined because of stares, whispers or close-minded _nejas._"

Malik blinked at Atemu's profile. The tone of voice he was using almost sounded depressed and Malik had to wonder for the first time if there was something more to his little twin friend.

"Do you miss your home?" Why he suddenly brought that up he had no idea but it had just occurred to him that the brothers weren't used to things in the United States and were thousands of miles away from their home and family. Hell, he would be homesick if the tables were turned.

Atemu shrugged again, linked his fingers behind his head, relaxed in the passenger seat and closed his eyes. "If you mean do I miss my country, then yes. Do I miss the way of life, the freedom, and villages? Then yes. But if you mean do I miss my mother and father… then that, my friend, would be a no."

"Oh." Well, this had turned slightly awkward and depressing. And after Atemu had tried to keep Malik from feeling that way by picking out a place where they would be comfortable.

Time to liven things up.

"Well!" Malik smiled as he finally cut the engine off and pulled the key out of the starter, sticking the little plastic square of the keychain that said "I want my man to have a VCR – Very Cute Rear" into his front pocket. "Well since you look cuter than a basket of speckled pups…let's go see if I remember how to line dance!"

Atemu looked at Malik, perplexed, until the word _cute_ registered in his mind. His confusion quickly turned into a scowl. "I am not cute. I'm sexy, charming, and…."

"….bootylicious!"

"And…what?"

The blonde just giggled at the Latino's baffled expression, checked his lip gloss in the rearview mirror and climbed out of the car, making sure to lock it up once Atemu was out.

"So you know how to line dance Burbujas?"

Malik blushed cutely under the streetlight when Atemu joined him and slid his arm around Malik's small waist. "Umm….yeah. I went through a _Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman_ phase. Sully was _so _hotand I just had to go out and learn anything to do with country or westerns. Did you get that show in Costa Rica? Joe Lando – the guy that played Bryan Sully – had long hair and he was so manly….."

* * *

"Well, I've dealt with him a lot in the past, so I'll go talk to him for you. He likes me. It shouldn't be a problem to get him to sell me the stock."

Seto stared at his brother doubtfully as the two of them walked into the coffeehouse. They had both been on campus late that night, working on respective class projects in the library, and decided to take a coffee break. Caffeine was one of the few things the Kaiba twins agreed upon.

"Why would you want to buy company stock? I thought you hated Gozaburo."

"And you don't? It's not about him, it's about _you_. And being a freaking family, for God's sake!" Seth glared at his twin. "I may not want to run the company, but you do. Why shouldn't I want to keep it in the family instead of letting some rich old fart buy up all the shares?"

"Noble of you, isn't it. But I don't have time to knight you right now, I'm afraid. I need an espresso."

"Seto, if you'd take your head out of your ass for one second you'd see that—"

"Hey isn't that your boyfriend? He and that white-haired prison reject are awfully cozy."

Seth followed his brother's gaze to one of the tables toward the middle of the room, where Bakura sat with his arm around a spiky-haired male's shoulders – Yami having finally allowed his friend to prop his arm there after several instances of its wandering into other, more private places. The older Kaiba glared and crossed his arms across his chest, feeling that simultaneous writhing and sinking sensation that began every time he saw Atemu with Bakura.

"So? Why should I care what he does?" Seth snapped defensively.

Seto tapped his chin. "You know, that's a good question. Maybe I'll ask him." And he started walking toward the pair, weaving through the tables as Seth raced after him, hissing expletives under his breath.

"Seto! Stop it! Seto, you bastard!"

"Hiiii Atemu! Seth was wondering why he should… Yami!"

Seth skidded to a halt just as his brother stopped in front of the table, staring at the cuddled-up pair with wide eyes. "Yami? What are you… is this a date?"

"Seto! No! We're just friends; Bakura just gets grabby sometimes…" Yami pushed Bakura's arm away and quickly stood up, reaching for Seto, who snatched his arm away.

Seth couldn't help it. He wanted to be the bigger man, really he did, the older twin setting a shining example for his wayward little brother, who would eventually come to him on his knees, begging Seth's forgiveness for being so rude and difficult… Uh… anyway, normally Seth would support his brother instead of rubbing his face in his disgrace; but really. Seto was asking for it.

He snickered. "He and that white-haired prison reject are awfully _cozy_, aren't they, Seto?"

"It's not like that!" Yami cried.

"What did you call me?" Bakura growled.

Yami reached for Seto's hand again, this time catching it and grasping it tightly between both of his own. "Seto, please… I know we've only been on one date, so… um… it's not like we're married or anything, but I really like you. And even if I didn't I would never date _Bakura_. Ew."

"Hey," Bakura muttered sulkily.

Seto eyed his would-be boyfriend suspiciously, his eyes darting a couple of times between Yami and Bakura before he relaxed and nodded. Yami breathed an audible sigh of relief at this and, grinning, stretched up onto his tiptoes to kiss Seto on the lips. Seto had to fight to keep a grin off his own face after that; choosing instead to pull Yami closer to him and kiss him more properly, making sure to add plenty of tongue.

Seth sank into the seat beside Bakura and tried not to feel jealous.

"So what are you two doing out together, then?" the younger Kaiba asked when he and Yami broke apart. "Where's Atemu?"

"Oh…" Yami looked a bit guilty. "I was keeping Bakura occupied while he and Malik went out on a date."

The Kaiba twins raised identical incredulous eyebrows. "So now your brother is dating the blond? This is like a soap opera," Seto muttered, shaking his head.

"Bubbles and Atemu are out on a _date_?" Bakura asked, surprise lighting up his pale features. "Atemu… and Malik…"

* * *

Atemu grinned as Malik was thrown off the mechanical bull for the second time, landing harshly on his butt on the pale blue padding that surrounded the machine. Slowly, the blond got up with a look of determination on his face even as both of his hands were currently rubbing the soreness out of his abused bottom.

"Burbujas, come on and forget that thing. Let's go dancing!"

"Oh, no!" Malik yelled over the music as he climbed back on the bull. "I'm going to beat this thing if it's the last thing I do."

"Why's that?" Atemu shouted back just as the machine started up, trying to buck his date off. But he had to admit, Malik looked hot with his hair messed up, clothes in disarray, and a light sheen of sweat glistening on his bronzed body.

"Can't have everyone thinking I can't hang!"

"Don't worry, I won't judge your cowboy riding skills on your bull riding ones, but I can test you out later…."

The onlookers started laughing –whether it was from Atemu's comment or because Malik fell off again, he didn't know – and Atemu just smiled as sweetly and innocently as possible at his fallen comrade. Lavender eyes narrowed, sending a weak glare his way while rubbing his butt once again.

"Come on, you can work off that soreness by dancing with me."

Turning his glare into a smile, Malik nodded his head as he left the bull area and took Atemu's hand as the Latino led him out onto the dance floor. They made it out to a relatively open spot just as Little Texas' song_ God Bless Texas_ came pouring out of the speakers. Even though this was Atemu's first time dancing to something like this, he proved to be a quick study - pleasantly surprising Malik - and even joined in when the other patrons yelled out "God Bless Georgia" instead of "Texas".

Amid the laughter and dancing, Malik realized this was the most carefree 'date' he had ever been on. Not even with his ex, Rishid, had he enjoyed himself so much. Atemu was the perfect gentleman – which surprised him considering his promiscuous life – opening doors for him, pulling his chair out, and paying for everything. Not once had the Latino tried anything other than harmless teasing and of course Malik dished it right back. Too bad he didn't have white hair, brown eyes and….

"Hey sexy."

Malik's mind snapped back to reality, lavender eyes looking directly into amused crimson. Atemu was now standing in front of him, just inches away and that's when he noticed that the tempo of the music had changed into something soft and intimate. "Huh?"

Atemu laughed softly, "You were spaced out there. Everything alright?"

"Yeah, just was thinking."

"I see…so, would you like to dance?"

Malik blinked when he felt a hand rest lightly on his hip, fingers curling just enough to let him know they were there. "Ummm…."

"Relax. Its just a dance," the Latino replied, his voice dropping an octave or two as he brought his unoccupied hand to Malik's other hip, pulling him in closer, hips beginning to sway to the music.

The blond stood there, unmoving, with images of the first night he met all of them at the party and they way they danced together. Would they be doing that? He hoped not; he wasn't much for public displays. But soon it was clear to him how the other was going to play when he felt a muscled thigh spread his legs, slipping between them. One hand sensually wondered away from his hip, up the small of his back, pulling him impossibly closer till their chests were touching. Malik could smell Atemu's cologne and natural scent and feel the heat radiating off his body.

Lavender eyes were wide. "Atemu?"

"Relax, Burbujas." He whispered huskily into his ear, "Just pretend I'm Kura and enjoy yourself."

Malik's body went ridged, mouth agape. "W-wha?"

Pulling back, Atemu just flashed him a sexy smirk. "I love my brother to death, but he's slightly naïve when it comes to reading people. He got it in his head the other day that you liked me and wanted me to ask you out on a date. Said it would be good for me to be in a stable relationship."

He relaxed slightly, letting his body mold better to Atemu's. "So you know?"

"Yeah."

"And you're not mad?"

He quirked an eyebrow, "Why would I be? Listen, there is something you need to know." Pulling his hands from Malik's hip and back, he slid one of them into Malik's hand and pulled him off the dance floor to a dark corner away from everyone. Turning back to his date, Atemu looked Malik carefully in the eyes, his hand still in the other's.

"I like Bakura, maybe even love him on some level. He's my friend - first one I've had besides my brother - but that's about as far as it goes. Yes, we sleep together but its physical only, mutual needs and all that."

Tilting his head down, Malik looked at his feet while he absentmindedly scuffed his toe of his shoe, causing blonde wisps to fall in front of his face. "So?" Fingers carefully brushed the locks away, tucking them gently behind his ears, while Atemu's other hand cupped his chin, making Malik look at him.

"So, go after him if you want him. Malik, you're a sweet guy and I think you would make Kura very…happy." In the shadowed corner, he never noticed how Atemu's eyes darkened as he spoke, or knew about the frown he fought to keep in check.

"Thanks, Atemu."

The Latino just shrugged his shoulders, flashing him another smirk. "How about we leave this place? Doesn't seem to be any need to stay here any longer now that things are out in the open."

Smiling, Malik nodded his head and gave Atemu a quick kiss on the cheek, again not noticing the slight flinch the other made.

* * *

Dragon: Yes, _Hoedowns_ is a real place in Atlanta GA, and that is the motto. _Nejas_ is Costa Rican slang for idiots. 


	9. Chapter 9

Yami was grinning ear to ear as he and Seto walked back to the dorm rooms, hand in hand. He couldn't help but think how sweet it was of him to blow off his previous engagement to make sure that he got home safely, leaving Bakura and Seth behind to glare at each other and trade insults.

He gave Seto's hand a gentle squeeze as they stopped in front of his door. "Would you like to come in for a bit? Atemu's probably still out on his date."

The taller male leaned forward, lips barely touching the other's, his heated breath teasing Yami's senses. "So….we'd be alone?"

Mentally melting into a pile of goo under the intense gaze of those beautiful icy blue eyes, Yami could only nod dumbly until those luscious lips captured his. It was brief but powerful and Yami's mental state was no better off afterwards than it was before.

Eyes closed, Yami just stood there, lost entirely in the moment. He just couldn't believe his luck. When he and his brother had applied for a school in America, all they wanted was a chance at a good education and to get away from their life. But he had gotten more.

Not only was he at a good school with his twin, but he had made some wonderful friends and attracted the attention of a sexy sophomore…one he was easily falling for.

"Ahem."

Yami blinked. "Huh?"

"Do you still want me to come inside?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Just wondering since you've been standing in front of your door with your eyes closed and a goofy grin on your face for the past five minutes. Of course, I always knew I was a good kisser."

Yami flushed, embarrassed, and Seto just flashed him that sexy smirk of his. His brother was right; he did act like a girl. Oh well, he mentally shrugged; he supposed someone had to play the part. Pulling his keys out of his pocket, he unlocked the door and stepped inside, allowing Seto to close it behind them.

Firm hands grasped his hips, pulling Yami's body flush against Seto while those wonderful, sinful lips descended on his neck, sending tiny shivers down his body.

"Mmmm."

"So, what did you have in mind since we're alone?"

"You're not getting your shriveled-up dick anywhere near my brother."

Yami jumped in Seto's arms when he heard Atemu's voice. Opening his eyes his spotted his twin sitting on his bed with his knees drawn up to his chest, dressed in his normal sleeping attire of a pair of cloth shorts and nothing else. But what startled him the most was Atemu's eyes; they were duller than anything Yami could remember, even if they were narrowed in threat.

Seto growled, his own eyes narrowing in return at the challenge. "So the whore got rejected and figures others can't get any either?"

"Seto!" Yami gasped, wide eyed, wiggling free of his arms just in time to stop his brother – who had lunged off the bed - from tackling the older male. "Atemu!"

With a smug smirk, Seto crossed his arms over his chest, watching with amusement as Yami tried desperately to hold his twin back. "Truth hurts doesn't it?"

"_¡__Jodete y aprieta el culo!"_

Frowning at both of them, Yami couldn't help but ignore Seto and concentrate on his twin. Where the hell was all this coming from? Sure Seto had called his brother a name but usually Atemu just brushed things like that off, never once rushing into a fight. And even though he was supposed to be with Seto right now, his brother was more important.

Holding back a gasp as Atemu pulled out of his hold and sank back down on the bed, Yami bit his lip and turned back to his boyfriend. "I think you'd better leave."

Seto gritted his teeth, not liking the fact that Yami was choosing that little punk-whore over him, but he also knew that he would blow it with the Latino if he voiced his opinion right now. "Fine, but we are still going out next week."

"Of course," Yami replied with a smile and a quick kiss to the other's cheek.

Once Seto was gone, Yami turned back around to find his brother lying on his side, his face towards the wall. With a frown and eyes full of concern, Yami carefully walked over to the bed and sat down on the edge. He was just opening his mouth when Atemu's slightly muffled voice stopped him.

"I'm sorry."

Dark eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "If you are talking about trying to kill Seto, then I forgive you. After all, he did say something nasty to you. I'll have to talk to him tomorrow."

"Why? He was only stating the…."

"Don't you dare finish that sentence Atemu!" Yami fumed, glaring at his brother's exposed back. "You and I may have different lifestyles, but you are not…not…_that._"

"Whatever."

The younger twin sighed. Atemu was in one of his moods and nothing Yami said would bring him out of it until he was ready. Knowing this, he chose to change the subject. "So how was your date?"

"Fine, but you were wrong. He doesn't like me, he likes Bakura."

Yami blinked, confused but rerunning the conversation he and Malik had had a week ago in his mind. "Oh," he replied sheepishly. "Guess I read that wrong."

"Yeah."

Getting up from the bed, Yami began to get undressed. "So what are you going to do?"

"Nothing to do. I told him to go after what he wanted."

After slipping into a pair of shorts much like the ones Atemu was in now, Yami made his way over to his brother's bed, placed a knee one the mattress, leaned over and gave his brother a kiss on the temple. "I'm sorry," he murmured. And he was; he knew how much Atemu was suffering inwardly right now.

Drawing back to get off the bed, Yami was startled when a hand reached out and grabbed his wrist. Looking up, he was drawn into pleading crimson eyes.

"Don't leave."

Without a second thought, Yami pulled the covers back and slid into the bed allowing Atemu to turn over and lay his head on his chest. Running a slim hand through silky locks much like his own, Yami felt Atemu relax against him.

"Never."

* * *

When Sunday morning dawned, the sun was shining, the birds were singing, hung-over college co-eds were panicking and sneaking away from the previous night's mistakes, and Malik Ishtahl was happy. In fact, the spicy little Southern freshman was more than happy, because he had a goal. An achievable goal, now that Atemu had given him the go-ahead to seduce Bakura. And Malik absolutely loved these types of situations, because when he was determined enough, he always, always got his way. It was simply a matter of proper planning and strategy.

_Step 1: Get him alone._

"This had better be good. It's too damn early to wake me up."

Malik rolled his eyes at the other's rude answer, but grinned into the telephone anyway. "Hiii Kura! This is Malik."

"No kidding. There's this nifty little invention called Caller ID these days, you know."

Malik simply laughed again. "Right. Anyway, I was just calling to see if you would want to come over."

"Why the hell would I want to do that?"

"Because we're friends, silly! And I made some printouts of those photos from the twins' date. I thought you might want to look at them."

"Oh." Bakura paused for a minute. "Yeah, okay."

"Great! Can you be here in half an hour?"

"Hn."

Malik decided to take the noncommittal grunt as a yes. "Great!" he said again. "Bye, Kura!"

"Hmph. Don't call me Kura." And the other hung up.

_Step 2: Secure his attention._

A rather surly-sounding knock at his door sent Malik scurrying from the bathroom to answer it. "Coming, Kura! I'm coming!" The blond hurried to the door to reveal his white-haired friend, dressed in khakis and a long-sleeved black concert t-shirt, leaning against the doorframe.

"Took you long enough," Bakura groused, pushing past him into the room. "Now hurry up and show me those pictures so… I… can…" When the sophomore finally got a good look at Malik he trailed off, gaping for a second, until the surprised expression on his face morphed into a shameless leer. "Damn Bubbles, if I'd known you'd be wearing _that_ I'd have moved a little faster."

Malik rolled his eyes, feigning exasperation, though inwardly he smirked. He had counted on Bakura's tendency to flirt with his friends; it was all part of the ultimate plan of seduction, of course, and it made his task a whole lot easier in the end. Finding something to wear that would snag Bakura's attention had been fairly easy; he just chose a snug little white t-shirt and his absolute shortest pair of navy blue bicycle shorts, slit even higher on the sides of his thighs. The blond had also liberally coated his skin with glittery lotion, so his meticulously tanned skin would glow even more.

"What?" Malik asked, blinking innocently. "I'm fixing to go to the gym."

Bakura just stared at him a moment longer, craning his neck obviously to check out the other's behind before shaking his head and grinning. "Bubbles," he sighed, and opened his mouth to say something else before changing his mind and just shaking his head again.

Malik grinned.

_Step 3: Feed him._

Old axioms weren't always false, as Malik had decided, in particular the saying about the way to a man's heart being through his stomach. Fifteen minutes after Bakura's arrival, he and Malik were lounging together on the futon, Malik's head resting cozily against the other's shoulder as he flipped through the photos of their friends' humiliating double date, enlarged and Photoshopped into excruciatingly painful detail.

"Hah! Look at Kaiba's face! Man, this is such great blackmail material," Bakura chuckled.

Malik yawned. "You already said that," he pointed out, grinning up at his human headrest. Bakura started to make a scathing reply but the phone ringing cut him off. Malik leaned over the edge of the futon to answer it, his butt waving in the air as he talked, directly in Bakura's line of sight. "Uh-huh. Ok, great. Yeah. Thank you." He hung up and glanced over his shoulder at Bakura – who quickly looked away, attempting an innocent expression.

The blond hid a smirk. "That was the pizza guy, I figured you'd be hungry so I ordered one before you got here. I have to go meet him at the dorm entrance but I'll be right back."

Bakura merely nodded, pretending to be shuffling through the pictures, though he surreptitiously watched Malik as he leaned over again to dig through his wallet. "What kind did you get?" the sophomore asked.

"Well, I don't eat meat so half is just cheese, but your half is Meat Lover's."

Bakura looked up in surprise, brown eyes meeting violet and holding their gaze. "That's my favorite," he said.

Malik smiled. "I figured."

_Step 4: Engage "innocent" physical contact._

The pictures were gone and so was the pizza, save for a few crusts and half-eaten greasy slices that lay in the open box on Malik's bed. But the futon was still occupied, half of it anyhow, by a white-haired young man lazily watching television and his blond friend happily curled up against his side. Malik had his legs curled up underneath him and both arms cozily entwined with one of Bakura's, his head resting on the sophomore's shoulder. Bakura occasionally cast him a few quizzical glances but had yet to comment on their position.

The two continued watching TV in this position for a few minutes, until, with a subtle glance to make sure Bakura was engrossed in the program, Malik let his fingers slide gently up and down the other's arm, stroking it with a slow, seductive motion. He immediately felt the arm stiffen.

"Kura?" he questioned.

"Get off me, my arm is falling asleep," Bakura replied curtly.

"Oh…" Malik sat up, untangling himself from the other's arm, and moved a respectable distance away.

But of course he would never give up _that_ easily.

A couple of minutes later, the blond freshman began inching closer to his friend once again. Soon their shoulders were touching, then their elbows, then their thighs; and as soon as he felt the warmth of Bakura's body all against his side Malik leaned against him, gently.

Bakura absently lifted his arm and wrapped it around Malik, letting the other snuggle against his side.

Resisting the urge to whoop in joy, Malik jumped at the offer immediately, nuzzling his cheek into Bakura's chest and slipping an arm across his stomach, long tanned fingers tracing idle patterns atop the fabric. It was then Bakura finally seemed to notice what was happening, and the older male looked down at Malik with a raised eyebrow.

"Care to tell me what the hell you're doing, Bubbles?"

_Step 5: Honesty is the best policy._

Instead of answering right away, Malik leaned up and pressed his lips against the bare skin of Bakura's neck, kissing and licking and nipping the sensitive skin until he heard the other's breath hitch in pleasure. "I'm seducing you," Malik murmured.

Bakura was silent for a moment until he chuckled, his arms sliding from Malik's shoulders to cup the nape of his neck under Malik's long blond hair and hold him still. Dipping his head down so he met the other's eyes, Bakura grinned. "That's the best news I've heard all day." With that he pressed his lips against Malik's, kissing him forcefully, but just when Bakura was ready to add a little tongue into the mix Malik pulled away, shaking his head.

"Uh-uh. It doesn't work like that with me. You have to date me first."

"But…"

Malik shook his head.

"Come on Bubbles," Bakura tried again.

"Nope, sorry." He settled back down against Bakura's side, snuggling into the other's chest and turning his attention back to the television. After a moment he felt fingers trailing through his hair.

"Damn you, Bubbles," Bakura muttered. "Fine. Saturday, then."

"We're going on a date?"

"Yeah."

_Step 6: Gloat._

* * *

A puffed-up kernel of corm sailed through the air in a wild arc before bouncing off harmlessly the TV only to land in the ever growing pile below it. Draped bonelessly on his bed in nothing but a pair of cotton shorts, Atemu reached into the white plastic bowl and pulled out another piece of popcorn, this time placing it in his mouth.

He sighed. It was Saturday night and that bastard had already come and taken his brother out on some lavish date, and Malik and Bakura were off doing God knows what, while he… he was sitting in his dorm – alone – watching borrowed DVDs of Dr. Quinn.

Pathetic.

Another piece of popcorn flew through the air, landing perfectly on the top of the TV and causing him to snort. Maybe he shouldn't have told Malik to go after Kura. If he kept his mouth shut then it would be him and the sophomore off fucking or something, instead of Atemu watching a female doctor perform some unsanitary surgery on some old coot who didn't even want it in the first place.

How the mighty have fallen.

And he really should have put up more of a fuss when his brother had left him to go out with that pompous jerk. Seto wasn't good enough for his twin - at least in Atemu's opinion anyway. There was just something about him that caused Atemu to be on alert whenever he was around Yami. And it didn't help that ever since those two had hooked up that his brother was becoming more… independent of him.

He loved Yami with all his heart and wanted him to be happy - hell he had spent his entire life making sure the other was happy - but now it seemed someone else was taking care of that. So where did that leave him?

Alone, utterly alone.

Grabbing a handful of popcorn, Atemu shoved it in his mouth, not caring about the mess he was making, as he munched it with a scowl on his face. He mentally sighed when he reached his hand into the bowl again and realized there was nothing left but un-popped kernels. With a huff, he lifted himself off his bed and grabbed the bowl. Might as well make some more; he had another ten DVDs to go.

* * *

"Alright! I'm coming! Hold your horses!"

Seth grunted as he was pulled from his studying to answer the annoying ring his phone had failed to stop emitting. Pushing himself up from the couch, he walked over to the TV and grabbed the phone that lay on top.

"Hello?"

"_Where's your brother?"_

Sneering, Seth narrowed his eyes. "Well hello to you too Pops," he replied sarcastically, his fingers gripping the phone a bit harder than they needed to.

"_Don't take that tone with me young man."_

Rolling his eyes, Seth sat back down on the couch and propped his feet up on the coffee table. Ok, so it was childish of him even if his bastard of a father couldn't see him but damn the rebellious streak was hard to break. "Seto's not here."

"_Oh? I bet he's at the library studying then. He was always the more ambitious one of the two of you."_

He chose to ignore that last part. "No, he's on a date. And, I have no idea when's he's coming back. So, I'll be _delighted_ to give him the message that you're looking for him."

"_Date huh?" _Seth could just see the glimmer of pride in his father's eyes – made him sick to his stomach. "_Good. About time he found himself a nice Southern girl to settle down with."_

Oh God it was _so_ tempting to burst his dad's bubble right now. It would be like Christmas, good sex and home cooking all in one to tell Gozaburo that his favorite son was not only gay but dating a foreigner too. But he wouldn't. That would be something Seto would have to break to the dear old man. Seth could only pray that he would be around when it happened and that it gave the bastard a heart attack.

Sometimes he hated being the nicer twin.

_"Well, I guess I'll just have to tell you then. I need you to find your brother and tell him that he'll have to cut his date short and both of you come home as soon as possible."_

Seth narrowed his eyes, "Why?"

_"Your mother wants the two of you to go to church with us tomorrow morning. She feels like you've both been neglecting your faith and are on the downward spiral to hell."_

Too late for that. He'd been in hell since the day he was born.

_"And then she wants us to have a sit down family lunch together that she's prepared."_

Seth snorted in amusement. "Oh? You mean you hired her to work in the kitchens? Father! I didn't know you liked to bed common blue-collar women."

_"You have a smart mouth on you boy."_

"It's a gift. Wonderful ain't it?"

"_Why couldn't you be more like your brother? Twins! Twin boys, everything a man dreams of…" _Must bite tongue. Must not tell Dad that he just sounded like a homosexual pedophile. "_….two to raise to be proper Southern business men and to carry on the Kaiba name…"_ Main reason for being gay, don't want to curse anyone else. _"…..and I had to be stuck with a son who talks, acts and thinks like trash and…"_

Seth sighed, feeling a headache coming on from all the crap floating through the phone lines. How the hell did Seto put up with this?

"Listen Dad," he interrupted, "I'll be sure to tell the perfect son that he can't fuck his _nice Southern girl_ tonight so he can hurry home and fall on his knees and repent in church tomorrow for letting his tiny dick rule his thoughts." He smirked when a snarl was heard, "Bye Dad!"

After hanging up the phone, he tossed it on the floor, pouting when it didn't accidentally break. Damn he hated that man more than anything and to know that Seto was slowly turning into him churned his stomach worse than rotten sour kraut. Speaking of his little brother, he guessed he'd better start tracking him down. God knew neither one of them really wanted to miss lunch at the Kaiba Plantation.

* * *

"Tea, please."

"Same for me, thanks." The younger Mutou twin smiled at the waiter and ran his hands slightly awkwardly over the ribbed fabric of his brown corduroys as he sat down across from Seto. "Our second date, huh?" he added in the direction of the brunet.

Seto grinned winningly and held Yami's gaze until the other grew flustered and stared down at his menu. Their second date indeed – and without any twin brothers, thank every deity real or imagined – and Yami looked incredible for the occasion. Now that the weather had turned slightly cooler, Yami wore long sleeves; though Seto wasn't sure they counted for much, since the sleeves were completely sheer. Well, technically the whole thing was sheer – not that Seto was complaining, however – a sheer black button-up shirt over a tiny, skin-tight black tank top. Add a black belt, brown corduroys that hung low on his hips, and dark brown suede boots, and Yami looked like a model straight from GQ. Well, a model maybe, but definitely not "straight" in any sense of the word.

Not that Seto was complaining about that either.

However, the brunet mused as he peered over his menu at his date, Seto's queer little model didn't seem too happy this evening. His brilliant crimson eyes looked clouded and dull, and a tiny frown hovered around Yami's lips. Seto had a feeling the expression had something to do with a certain brother of Yami's that had eyed him less than amicably when he'd gone to pick up Yami at the dorm, muttering things about Seto in Spanish that the brunet wasn't sure he wanted to understand.

Obviously, if this date was going to proceed to his benefit, Seto would have to do something about it, regardless of how much it annoyed him to do it. He put down the menu and folded his hands on the table. "Yami."

"Hmm?" The other looked up at Seto questioningly, one eyebrow quirked in an adorably curious fashion.

"I want to apologize for what I said to Atemu before; the night I walked you home from the coffee shop, I mean. He's your family, and I hurt both of you by acting like I did. I'm sorry."

Seto expected – or maybe just hoped – for Yami to forgive him, smile in that beautiful way of his that showed off his perfect, white teeth and lit up his entire perfect face, but he didn't. Instead Yami sighed and set his own menu down on the table, not meeting Seto's eyes. "Seto, there are a lot of things that you don't understand about Atemu. I know you didn't realize it, but what you said to him was probably the worst possible thing anyone could say. After you left he was…" Yami bit his lip, shaking his head, and sighed again.

"He was what?" Seto prodded, his interest piqued. "Yami?"

Ruby eyes met ocean blue for a brief moment before they glanced away again. "Atemu would be furious if he knew I told you this," Yami began hesitantly, "but if you're going to date me you'd have to find out eventually anyway. Our parents…"

Yami took a deep, shuddering breath and Seto noticed the shine of repressed tears in his eyes before Yami resolutely turned his head away again. Seto wished he could grab the other's hand, but Yami's hands were too busy twisting nervously in his lap. "Atemu and I… we were a mistake."

"What! Why on earth—"

"Don't, Seto." Yami shook his head, giving him a faint smile. "We were, at least as far as our parents were concerned. They were scientists, you know, volcanologists from Japan, and they moved to Costa Rica to do their research. And they loved their jobs… oh, did they love their jobs. There wasn't time, much less desire, in their schedules for a pair of twin boys. We were a mistake, an accident, a flaw of contraception."

"Yami…"

"Of course they never _told_ us that, not outright anyway. It was more neglect, not even abusive neglectfulness, just forgetfulness. They were never really around. Atemu – even though he's like, twenty minutes older than me – was more like a parent; father, mother, big brother all in one. He always looked out for me.

"It wasn't always like that, though, and maybe that's the worst part. When I was born I was a sick baby; underweight, allergic to everything, just unhealthy in general; and even though my parents never really wanted a child, much less twins, even they couldn't ignore a sickly newborn. They fawned over me for the first few years, pampering me and nursing me and basically leaving Atemu to fend for himself, since he was the 'healthy' child. Then, when we were maybe six or seven, they started paying less and less attention to the both of us and focusing on their real passion again, their research. Atemu sort of took over raising me then."

"I see," Seto said neutrally. He wasn't sure what else to say; he felt bad that Yami had had to suffer, of course – anything that kept that sexy smile from Yami's face was just plain wrong, as far as he was concerned – but a screwed-up childhood was really nothing to be traumatized about. Look and his and Seth's. You didn't see Seto complaining – well, maybe plotting to overtake his father's company and leave the man humiliated and crying in the dirt, but still.

Yami gave the brunet a quavering smile, which the other returned easily. "Sorry to be so depressing on our date, but I really want you and my brother to get along," Yami sighed. "The thing you have to understand about Atemu is… he doesn't understand love. Not really. Probably the only person who's ever truly loved him is me, and I know I'm the only one he's ever really cared about. It's… he's love-starved, I guess that's the only way to say it; he doesn't understand relationships but he wants one so badly… And then he ends up with one-night stands, or sleeping with friends like he did with Bakura, because he honestly doesn't think anyone would want to be around him for any reason other than his body."

Seto stared at the other teen, who still resolutely refused to meet his gaze and watched the food stain on the restaurant carpet instead. Tears hung thickly behind those alluring eyes, and Seto felt a painful twinge somewhere deep in his chest. His mouth opened before he realized it and he murmured, "You have to admit, it is a very _nice_ body, though."

That got the other to look at him, the smaller male's eyebrows furrowed in shock and indignation, until Seto's eyes roved pointedly over Yami's slender frame and gave him a wink. Then, miraculously, Yami's face cleared and the worry rolled away; and he laughed. "Seto!" he chided. But he smiled anyway, obviously feeling better than when they arrived.

And, for reasons he wasn't sure he could explain, Seto felt the same.


	10. Chapter 10

How he had been roped into driving, Bakura couldn't say, but somehow Malik had managed it, and as the dull yellow streetlights flashed rhythmically past, the white-haired sophomore held the steering wheel of Malik's god-awful purple Volkswagen Beetle with a firm grip and a scowl. Yet the scowl wasn't quite as deep as it could have been, despite the inarguably stressful day Bakura had just suffered through. This was largely due to the blond seated beside him, scooted as close as the bucket seats would allow, his head on Bakura's shoulder and his slender fingers clutching the arm draped possessively around his neck.

Malik yawned and grinned up at him, violet eyes almost rolling back in his head in an effort to see the other's face. "I had fun, didn't you, Bakura?"

"I hate amusement parks," Bakura replied gruffly.

"Pshaw," Malik scoffed, "You're just mad you didn't win a prize." With that he fondly patted the head of an enormous pink, stuffed elephant propped on his other side.

Bakura growled under his breath, instantly annoyed. Not that he really cared about winning some idiotic stuffed animal; rather, the mention of Malik's elephant – "Fluffy," as the insane blond had insisted on calling it – reminded him of an incident he would much rather forget.

They had gotten to the park around two, neither of the Atlanta natives caring to arrive early, as they had both been to Six Flags more times than they could count, and their date had gone smoothly for about forty-five minutes. To be more specific, the length of the wait for the first rollercoaster. Although Malik had obediently followed Bakura into the line and waited cheerfully, chattering like his exuberant airheaded self, there was one thing he had failed to mention.

Malik was deathly afraid of rollercoasters.

Once they had been strapped in, all cheerfulness left the blond and he began screaming like a maniac, clutching at Bakura even before they had reached the top of the first hill, and he kept it up for the next 90 seconds or so, until they were safely on the ground once more. By this time Bakura's ears were ringing and his arm was turning purple from lack of circulation. Gritting his teeth, he turned to snap at Malik for ruining his fun… but the other looked up at him with enormous, watery violet eyes and gave him a quavering smile. "That was scary," he whispered.

Bakura sighed. "Let's go do something else then," he muttered.

"Okay!" Suddenly the smile was back and Malik was his hyper self once again, slipping his hand from Bakura's arm to twine itself between the sophomore's fingers, the blond practically skipping as he led Bakura toward the game booths.

Grumbling under his breath about crazy blondes who somehow made him do stupid things, Bakura stopped at the first booth and let go of Malik's hand. The game was simple; throw a baseball and try to knock three stacked milk bottles off a pedestal. The white-haired male closed his eyes, channeling all his frustration into the ball, and threw it with all his might.

It hit the wall of the booth with a dull thunk. The bottles never even shook.

Three booths and thirty-odd dollars later, Bakura had yet to win a single game; and Malik's 'encouragement' was getting more and more annoying. The sophomore was certain he could feel the heat radiating from his ears as Malik pointed to the next booth, squealing, "Oooh, Kura, look at that elephant! I want that! Win me that!"

"The hell! Are you five? Win your own damn elephant." He shook off Malik's hand from his arm and turned back to his game – basketball, this time – momentarily pleased to hear the other fall silent.

But then slow footsteps trudged away from him and Bakura was left alone; and suddenly the game wasn't nearly as appealing. He looked around. "Bubbles?"

He spotted the blond leaning against the booth he had been pointing to earlier, chatting easily with the person behind the counter and smiling, though the expression seemed less cheery than usual. Feeling an odd sinking sensation in the pit of his stomach, Bakura tossed his basketball – missing the target – and followed his date over to the next booth.

His eyes bugged out in astonishment at what he found there.

"You!" Bakura hissed.

Jounouchi raised an eyebrow, shifting the well-chewed toothpick in one corner of his mouth to the other side. "Who're you?"

Malik giggled, "Jou, this is Bakura. You met him that time at the movies, remember?"

The brown-eyed blond furrowed his brow and shook his head. "Sorry, nope. I must have been too distracted by your incredible beauty." He shot Malik a roguish wink. Bakura growled. "You sure do spend a lot of time with your dad, though," Jou continued, shifting his gaze to Bakura for a brief moment before turning back to Malik and lowering his voice. "Does he, you know, have some kind of disease or something?"

"WHAT! I'm not his father, you imbecile! I'm barely a year older than him!"

Jou cocked his head to the side. "Then how come you've got white hair?"

"I-I don't know, I was born that way!" Bakura shouted, throwing his hands in the air. "Just like you were born an idiotic bastard who…"

"So, Malik, haven't seen you at the gym lately."

"Yeah, I've been working out early in the mornings. The twins like to do things in the afternoon; they're not morning people."

"Oh, ok. How do you like my new job?"

"It seems fun, I guess; but wouldn't the movies pay more?"

"ARE YOU LISTENING TO ME?" Bakura shrieked.

"Nah, they pay about the same. Plus this one has some great benefits… Here," Jou said, and handed Malik the pink elephant he'd been eyeing. "For you."

Malik's eyes widened and he grinned in sheer delight. "Really? Oh, wow. Thanks so much, Jou!"

The other blond reddened a bit, scratching his head sheepishly. "Aw, it was nothing. It reminded me of you."

"That's so sweet!"

Bakura had had enough. He grabbed Malik's arm and dragged him several feet away; then turned back to Jou and snarled. "Bubbles is _my_ date. Mine. Now back off!" And he bent down and kissed Malik; viciously, possessively, smirking in triumph when Malik wrapped his arms around his neck and kissed back.

All in all, Bakura figured the day hadn't been a total waste; even if after that public display of affection Malik had dragged him to all the stupid singing and dancing shows and made him ride the boring couple rides without even letting Bakura get in a good grope. But there was still that kiss; a very good kiss indeed, made even better by the knowledge that it pissed Jou off; and the way that Malik seemed to melt against him whenever they sat next to each other, the silky-smooth touch of that blond hair against his neck as Bakura drove beneath the dull yellow streetlights.

He leaned down and kissed the top of Malik's head.

* * *

"What the hell do you want?"

Azure eyes narrowed, arms crossed over his chest as Seth stood out in the hallway towering over the shorter Latino. Unfortunately, Atemu wasn't the least bit intimidated and opted for a similar stance and glare.

"Don't worry, I didn't come here for a social call."

"Then what the hell are you taking up space for?"

"I need to find my brother and he's not answering his cellphone. He's not here by any chance is he?"

Seth was mildly intrigued when Atemu's eyes seemed to darken and a sneer pulled at his lips. "Like I would be here if he was. Sorry to inform you, but your brother makes me want to hurl."

"Yeah, he tends to have that effect on people."

"All except my brother it seems." He leaned against the doorframe, and let out a sigh. "Why don't you just go to wherever they went and look for him?"

"Because he didn't tell me where he was going. Did Yami mention anything?"

Atemu shook his head, his wild spikes swaying with the motion. "No."

Both of them stood there, not really realizing at some point during the short conversation that they had stopped glaring at each other. Biting his lip, Atemu sighed again and opened the door a little further. "Your brother will bring Yami here first, so would you like to wait on him here?"

Seth's eyebrow raised, "You sure? That could be awhile."

"Yeah well," he shrugged his shoulders, "I could use the company."

Walking past Atemu, Seth did a quick study of the room – since he had never been there before – and raised an eyebrow at the small pile of popcorn littered at the base of the TV. He turned around when he heard the door shut and eyed the Latino with a bit of amusement. "Should I ask?" he questioned while he pointed towards the popcorn on the floor.

"No."

"OK, well can I ask why you are watching reruns of Dr. Quinn on a Saturday night?"

"No." Atemu quickly walked past Seth, his head ducked low, and grabbed the once again empty bowl off his bed and bent down to start picking up the mess. Seth could have sworn he saw a faint blush on those tanned cheeks.

Crossing his arms over his chest, Seth watched the younger man, "So why are you here all alone? Shouldn't you be out with your fuck buddy?"

He frowned at the sudden stiffness in Atemu's bare shoulders and back muscles. And without turning around, the freshman stood up and dumped the contents of the bowl into the trashcan.

"Bakura and I are no longer seeing either other in _that_ way, if you must know."

Well, that got Seth's attention, which led to him being curious and a curious Kaiba was never a good thing. Inviting himself to sit down on what he presumed was Yami's bed - since there wasn't any popcorn on it – he watched Atemu, who stood in front of him now with his own arms crossed.

"Why is that?"

Crimson eyes narrowed as Atemu scowled. "Why does it matter? You, Mr. Rich and Famous, wouldn't really be interested in the emotional well-being of some low-life foreign whore now would you?"

Azure eyes widened, stunned at what Atemu had just said. "Wha? I never said that."

"You don't have to," he growled out. "You think it, everyone thinks it, and I know it."

Seth stood, anger seeping into him for some unknown reason. "Well, maybe if you didn't sleep with the first person you met on the first day of classes people might not think that!"

Atemu suddenly laughed; bitter sounding, hollow, unhealthy. "Yeah, well it doesn't matter does it? Its all people care about anyway. All they see is the package on the outside. They don't bother to see what's underneath."

"Would you let them?" Seth asked. He was still angry, about what he didn't know, but also a bit of concern for the other man's mentality and emotions started to pull on him.

The Latino scoffed, shifting his weight from one foot to the other, not looking at the man standing before him. "Why bother? For the chance of love? Yeah right, that's a crock of shit if you ask me. I've seen this so-called love… in the end, even it's not enough to keep people from leaving you behind."

Seth could only stand there and stare at the person in front of him. His heart suddenly had a funny burning feeling, and he wanted to reach over and comfort the other male, but his mouth seemed to react differently. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"Better yet, why am I even talking to you about this?"

"Maybe because you need to?"

Atemu's flinched slight before he regained his composure and snorted, "I need nothing."

Stepping forward, Seth's face softened as he looked into hard crimson eyes.  
I think you need more than you let on."

"What, pray tell, do I need? Since you seem to know everything."

"Understanding? A friend who's not after your body?"

Atemu said nothing, just stood there still facing the older Kaiba before he gave a curt nod of his head. "Really now?"

Seth didn't have a chance to ask what Atemu meant by that for he suddenly found very warm, wet lips pressed against his own. Bronzed hands came up, intertwining in the hair on the back of his head, tugging slightly on the cinnamon strands. His shock soon wore off and was replaced with longing when Atemu's tongue brushed against his bottom lip, demanding entrance, to which he obliged willingly. His own arms came around the smaller male's waist, fingers dancing over firm back muscles, making the skin over them shiver at his touch.

He didn't even realize Atemu had pushed him back onto Yami's bed until the weight of the Latino's warm body was on top of him, pressed into him. One leg resting between his, rocking slowly, sent wonderful waves of pleasure though his groin as it massaged him through his jeans.

Hands roamed on their own, and Seth was lost in the feelings until a sharp but pleasurable bite was placed at the base of his neck. His eyes flew open and he grabbed Atemu by the arms, using his larger size to easily flip them over. He stared down at the man below him.

"_Understanding? A friend who's not after your body?"_

"_Really now?"_

He growled, understanding making his thoughts run clear now. "Nice test. But it won't work. I meant what I said. As gorgeous and as sexy as you are, that's not the only reason I want to be with you."

Atemu blinked, "Be with me?"

Azure eyes went wide; he had not meant to say that. Damn his mouth. "Umm…" He ducked his head, shyness creeping over him for the first time. "Yeah, well you fascinate me. And I don't just mean your looks. You're not afraid of my name, my status. You're brilliant…" he ended with a shrug of his shoulders, not knowing what else to say. He wasn't very good with these types of things anyways.

"I…see…."

Apparently, neither of them were.

With a sigh, Seth rolled them over so they were both laying on their sides, facing each other. Their eyes seemed to be endlessly searching each other, trying to each decipher the other's emotions. But no more words were said between them, and Seth opted for the only other thing he could think of to help Atemu understand. He pulled him close, letting the smaller man bury his face into his chest, while he wrapped his arms around his waist.

Both of them had a lot to think about, but for now, they would enjoy the silence.

* * *

A hand crept along his back, slipping teasingly lower as Yami giggled. "Seto, stop that!" he chided, turning from his dorm room door to playfully bat the other's hand away. "You already got your goodnight kiss. The date's over."

The brunet took a step closer, wrapping his arms around Yami's smaller form and murmuring in his ear, "Then let's start the next one now."

Yami laughed and stretched up on his tiptoes to give Seto another quick kiss before slipping out from the other's grasp. "As tempting as that sounds, I think Atemu would burst a blood vessel if I stayed out any longer." He turned back to the door and quickly unlocked it.

"But wouldn't you rather…" Seto's protests trailed off into an astonished silence as the door swung open and the two observed the sight inside. There, stretched out on Yami's bed, lay Seth and Atemu, curled in each other's arms, with Atemu's head on Seth's chest and Seth's chin resting atop the other's spiky hair.

"_¡Dios mio!"_ Yami shrieked. "Atemu! You did _not_ have sex on my bed!"

At his cry the sleeping pair shot up suddenly, cracking skulls as they did, and stared at Seto and Yami, their expressions a mixture of sleepiness and guilt – and pain, as they sourly rubbed the lumps on their heads and glared at each other.

"What are you doing here, Seth?" Seto asked levelly, though his twin could tell he was fighting to keep the amusement out of his voice.

"I was looking for _you_. Gozaburo called and wanted me to find you, and I thought you might be here."

"Yes, I can see how hard you were looking," Seto dryly retorted, eliciting a glare and a growl from his brother.

"Atemu, please tell me you didn't… not _there_, not with _him_," Yami pleaded, crimson eyes wide as he stared at his twin.

Atemu's head shot up at that and he frowned. "Why? What's wrong with _him_?" he snapped, causing both Kaibas to stare at him in astonishment.

"N-nothing, I guess," Yami replied, glancing at Seto, "but it's my bed… and he's Seto's brother… and… and…" He stopped, looking hard at Atemu, whose head drooped and fingers fidgeted with the cloth of his shorts. "And you really didn't, did you?"

Yami's face broke out into a wide smile and he suddenly let out a great peal of laughter; then he rushed over to the bed and sat beside his twin, the two beginning to talk in rapid-fire Spanish. After a moment a small, matching smile crept over Atemu's face as he nodded his head back at Seth. Yami asked him something and Atemu nodded again, his grin widening, and the two Latino freshmen burst out laughing.

Seth's face reddened in sudden embarrassment. "Uh… what's going on?"

"Hell if I know," Seto muttered.

Yami and Atemu looked at each other. "It's getting late," they said simultaneously.

"I'll call you later, okay Seto?" Yami rose and walked Seto to the door, lifting his chin to let the other kiss him goodbye.

Still seated on the bed next to Atemu, Seth gave the other a hopeful glance. Atemu smiled at him pleasantly.

"You can get out of my room now."

* * *

Yami was silent all of two seconds after the twins left before he pounced on his brother with another squeal of delight. To him, this was one of the best things that could have happened. Sure, it was just this one time, but he hoped it would be the first of many.

And maybe a start to Atemu healing.

"So…." He tried to think of a way to bring everything up as he and his brother lay down on his bed side by side, each propping their heads on the palms of their hands, facing each other.

"So?" Atemu asked back with a raised eyebrow as he casually looked over his brother, looking for any signs that Seto had had his way with Yami.

"So… do you think….you two might start seeing each other now?"

With a sigh, Atemu rolled onto his back, staring up to the ceiling with a frown on his face. "I don't know Mocoso. I mean this is all sorta sudden, you know? I mean… he did say he wanted to be with me and he did…" he shook his head, not really wanting to relay that piece of information.

"But?"

"But nothing, I guess."

Scooting over, Yami leaned over his brother, studying his face, before breaking into a grin. "You like him!" he said in a singsong voice, giggling when a small blush crept on his twin's cheeks. "This is great! I mean, now we can go on double dates, we're dating twins, you and Seto can start getting along…"

"Stop right there! I don't think I'll ever get to like Seto. There's something…" Atemu stopped when he saw Yami frown. With a sigh, he pulled his brother down, letting the other's head lay on his chest as he ran his fingers through Yami's hair. "But, for you, I'll try."


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

When Seth and Seto Kaiba pulled into the parking lot of the Second Street First Baptist Church their father was waiting for them in the parking lot, standing by a silver Lexus parked among many of its kind in the section of the lot in best view of the highway. The twins glanced at each other and rolled their eyes before Seto found an empty space and they climbed out of the car, tugging at their neckties in a moment of shared discomfort.

By that time Gozaburo had reached them, puffing out his chest and letting out a pleased huff of air that ruffled his mustache. "Wonderful! You wore the suits your mother bought for you; she'll be so pleased."

Seth and Seto glanced at each other. The thick polyester suit jackets and matching pants – Seto's in navy blue and Seth's in gray – had been an ordeal for both of them, since Seto hated wearing any sort of suit, preferring long coats and striking colors as his symbols of power, and Seth merely sulked because they were uncomfortable. However, they both caved in the end, as they were hoping to get through this day with as little headache as possible. Deciding to ignore their father's comment for now, they asked simultaneously, "Where's Mama?"

Gozaburo let out another mustache-ruffling snort and adjusted his belt over the wide berth of his stomach before gesturing for his sons to follow him. "She's inside. You know she likes to have coffee in the fellowship hall with the other ladies before church," he answered, and the twins followed him to one of the pairs of glass double doors that led into the building.

Before they could open it, however, a graying man with thick glasses and an over-bright smile was already holding it open for them. "Good morning, Brother Kaiba. I see you brought your sons with you today. Fine looking young men, I'll say." He handed them each a peppermint and a bulletin with the picture of a dove holding an olive branch in its mouth, the logo "Second Street First Baptist" in shiny, raised letters along the bottom.

"Thank you, Brother," Gozaburo told the man, giving him a smug smile, and the three Kaibas proceeded into the foyer.

"Brother, would you switch mints with me? I prefer the green ones," Seto asked his twin, smirking.

"Why of course, Brother. These are fine looking mints, I'll say," Seth replied.

"Stop that, you two!" their father hissed. "You'd best behave for your mother or I'll…"

"Darlings! You're here! You look so _thin_!"

"Hello, Mama," the twins dutifully replied, turning to look at the woman who had just appeared around the corner. She wore a long yellow dress with a pattern of pink flowers under a short matching jacket of the same print, which seemed to be part of the dress though it was hard to be sure. Her dyed blonde hair just touched her chin and had been teased and sprayed until it stood at least two inches above her head on all sides. Enormous silver hoop earrings and a pink purse completed the ensemble. "You look nice, Mama," Seth and Seto added, still speaking simultaneously. At the moment it was less of a twin thing and more of knowing the right things to say to their mother.

"Oh, stop it, you two," she scoffed, though she couldn't prevent a pleased smile. "We'll eat after service and I'll stuff you with some of my famous mashed potatoes, how does that sound?"

"Yes, ma'am," they replied.

"I love your cooking, Mama," Seto added, smiling down at the petite woman.

"Oh, you!" she fluttered and hugged him. Seth made a face at his brother over her head.

"Come on, it's time for service to start," Gozaburo said, prying the two apart and wrapping his arm around his wife's shoulders.

Second Street First Baptist was an affluent church, to say the least, just like the majority of its members, most of whose families had attended services in the enormous brick building for at least three generations. The sanctuary, which was at least two-thirds full by the time the Kaiba family entered, consisted of four rows of wooden pews split by aisles that seemed to stretch on for centuries up to the "altar," which was really just a set of steps leading to the stage. The stage was set off by two flags, an American flag on the right and a Christian flag on the left. Stained glass windows decorated with varying pictures of doves, crosses and other Bible scenes stretched up to the high ceiling and let in squares of tinted sunlight.

Gozaburo led his family along the center aisle to the "Kaiba pew," the fifth pew from the front on the left center, nodding at a few middle-aged businessmen and their wives as he passed. As he approached the pew, he raised his thick eyebrows and his mustache ruffled again when he saw a man already sitting there. "_Excuse_ me."

The skinny young man glanced up and smiled. "Yes?"

"I'm going to need you to move. This is where _my_ family sits."

"Um…" the man glanced at the otherwise empty pew. "Do you need me to stand up so you can slide in?"

Mrs. Kaiba gasped and her husband narrowed his eyes dangerously. "I believe you misunderstood me. This is where the _Kaiba_ family sits. I trust there are some empty seats in the back."

The man looked for a moment like he might protest, but at Gozaburo's prolonged stare he rose and walked away, muttering under his breath. The elder Kaiba smirked at his back before ushering his wife ahead of them into the pew. "Bastard," Seth hissed quietly.

"What did you say, boy?" Gozaburo turned from where he had been about to sit and fixed his gaze on Seth.

"I said—"

Seto kicked him, ignoring his brother's glare. "He said that guy was a bastard."

"Ah. Watch your language, remember you're in church."

Seth childishly stuck out his tongue at his father before sitting beside him. Seto plopped at his other side and immediately hissed in his ear, "What do you think you're doing? Are you _trying_ to piss him off?"

"What do I care if he's mad? He's practically disowned me anyway," Seth snapped back in a harsh whisper.

"You're the one who's all about family togetherness—"

"Boys! Don't make me separate you." Gozaburo's low growl drew the twins' attention to the stage, where the preacher was making his first appearance.

"Good morning everyone," the smiling man on stage said to the audience. He was a vaguely good-looking man, save for a slightly red face and the beginnings of a receding hairline, and he wore an ill-fitting navy blue suit that greatly resembled Seto's, much to the sophomore's consternation. "I'd like to open up our service this morning with a few moments of silent prayer. If you'll all bow your heads."

The congregation obeyed and silence fell over the room – until the rustling of a candy wrapper sounded from the direction of the Kaiba pew, following by the crack of someone chewing on hard candy. A few people glanced in their direction and Seto opened one eye, seeing Seth chomping loudly on his peppermint. He stomped on his brother's foot.

"OW! GODDAMMIT!" Seth shrieked and the peppermint promptly lodged itself in the back of his throat, sending him into a coughing fit. He doubled over and clutched the back of the pew in front of him as he choked, his father and brother "helping" by pounding on his back.

Thirty seconds later, the thirty-person robed choir sang the first stanza of "Amazing Grace" and Seth glared at Seto from the other side of his red-faced mother and father. His twin wouldn't spare him a glance, so Seth discreetly pulled his cellphone from his pocket and sent his brother a quick text message.

_I hate you_

At the buzzing in his pocket, Seto pulled out his phone and read the message, rolling his eyes. He glared at Seth and sent back:

_Why should I care?_

_I'll tell Dad about your "Southern girl"_

_Then I'll tell about yours_

By this time the glares the twins sent at each other could have melted steel, but they both knew they were stuck. Even if they would, neither could tell their parents on the other without his own secrets leaking out. And even though Seth didn't particularly care what his father thought of him, his mother was a different story. As much as he and Seto fought, for the moment, they were allies.

Seth sighed and sent one last text message.

_I'm hungry._

_Yeah. Me too._

* * *

Bakura blinked, his hand raised in midair to _not so lightly_ rap on the door to the twins' dorm, looking into the wide crimson eyes of the younger Latino twins. Lowering his hand, the white-haired man gave a curt nod of his head as Yami slowly and quietly closed the door behind him, leaving them both out in the hallway.

"I need to see your brother."

Biting his lip, Yami's eyes glanced from the other to the door and back again. "He's sleeping and I was just going out to the library to get some research done."

Bakura frowned at the subtle hint that Yami wanted to leave his brother in peace. "I still need to talk to him."

"Is this about your date with Malik? By the way," Yami grinned, "How did that go?"

He scowled, "That's not any of your business."

"I'll just find out from Malik anyway."

"You do that then, in the mean time…." Bakura left the rest of his thoughts hanging as he gently pushed by the twin, put his hand on the doorknob, and began to turn it.

"Bakura wait!" Yami whispered heatedly, his eyes narrowed in a way that made him look exactly like his brother.

"What?"

"Look, Atemu's had a rough night and he doesn't need you messing with him right now."

A rather devious looking grin spread across his face, "Well then, if he's had a rough night, he needs me to help him feel better." And with that, he opened the door, stepped through and closed it on the younger male, faintly hearing 'damn it' coming from the other side. Quickly, he locked the door, making sure he would not be interrupted. Looking over toward the bed, he began to unbutton his shirt, tossing it on the floor and using the toe of his boot, he pulled them off also before making his way to the sleeping figure.

Gently, he lifted the covers, frowning when he noticed that Atemu wasn't naked but then he shrugged his shoulders and carefully slid himself into the bed. Reaching a hand out, he brushed golden bangs out of the other's face, staring momentarily at the peaceful look before he leaned in and kissed Atemu's slightly parted lips. Getting no response, he moved in closer, running his hand through silky, sleep-tousled hair, his mouth and tongue gliding effortlessly down the exposed neck of the Latino.

Crimson eyes blinked open, pushing their cloudiness away as heated moisture descended down to the juncture of his neck and shoulder, gentle nips causing him to open his mouth, a moan escaping before he could fathom what was causing him to feel this way.

"Hmm... Kura?"

Silvery-white hair came into view when addressed male lifted his head, those brown eyes dark with lust. Atemu shook his head, bringing his hand up to stop Bakura when the other leaned in again to kiss him. "What are you doing?"

"What does it feel like?" he questioned as he let one of his hands snake under Atemu's gray t-shirt, his fingers ghosting over smooth skin. "I'm trying to get fucked."

Shaking his head again, he grabbed his friend's hand, stilling the caresses, and pushed himself back further away from the older male. "No, not anymore. Not from me at least."

A low growl was heard, the only thing breaking the silence. Atemu turned his head away, frowning a bit before he climbed out of the bed, walking over to his brother's and sitting down on it, facing that hard chocolate gaze. "And why the hell not? Isn't that what we do? Screw each other?"

Even as he frowned, Atemu could only nod his head. "Yeah, but now you have Malik and even I'm not low enough to mess up another's relationship."

"What relationship?" Bakura asked as he sat up, throwing his feet off the bed till he was facing Atemu. "It was one date and there was no sex…I hardly call that a relationship."

Atemu laughed, "You're an idiot. Even you have to see what he thinks of you. He likes you _a lot_. And you don't have to have sex to be in a relationship or date someone."

"Says the person who spread his legs for me the first night we met."

Crimson eyes hardened, "You have a good thing going for you if you grow up enough to realize that. I highly suggest you pay attention to Malik and be good to him. Don't screw it up," he growled out, standing up and walking towards the door. Opening it up, he turned back toward the only friend he had…or did have. "You can leave now."

Pissed and a little shocked, Bakura grabbed his shirt, throwing it on hastily, and then grabbed his boots. "What the fuck happened to you? You're going to throw me out after everything?"

A dark eyebrow rose, "Everything? We had sex, we had a good time and that's all it was to you wasn't it?"

"What are you talking about?"

"You didn't get laid last night and the first thing you did this morning was come to me looking for a release. Not to talk about your date, or how my night went, or even to see how I felt about the whole thing. I mean after all – according to your terms – we had a relationship since we had sex, right?"

Bakura snapped his mouth closed, his jaw clenching. He really had nothing to say to that. But as he walked out the door, he turned and looked at Atemu one more time, one question still plaguing his mind, "Why the sudden change Atemu?"

Crimson eyes softened slightly, a faint smile playing on his lips. "Let's just say, I might have finally found what I've been looking for."

* * *

Gozaburo inhaled deeply, and for a moment his chest was nearly the size of his distended stomach until he let out a loud huff of air and grinned at his sons. The three were seated in brown wicker rocking chairs on the front porch of the Kaiba home, enjoying the balmy weather while they waited for their lunch. "Gorgeous, isn't it boys? Worth the forty-minute commute to work, just to be able to smell this fresh air."

"Yeah, I'm sure the land and the giant house don't hurt anything, either," Seth muttered. His brother smirked.

"Of course, boy! We couldn't have the horses if we lived in the city; and just look at that land! White picket fence, pond almost the size of a small lake… Why, Seto, if you ever run for politics you've already got the perfect backdrop for your commercials. Media just eats this stuff up."

Seto made a vague murmur of assent.

"You know boys, I thought about politics myself. I'm still not too old, I've got plenty of vitality left in these old bones, and it would do my heart good to see a Kaiba run for governor. Heck, even mayor. But then I said to myself, 'Kaiba, old boy, do you really want to do that to your wife? You'll have the women chasing you in herds, and if you ever gave into temptation it'd break the little lady's heart.' So I decided not to. And besides, I have two handsome, genius sons, and at least _one_ of them is on the right track to a proper Kaiba future." Here he shot Seth a dark look, who merely rolled his eyes in response.

Seto quirked an eyebrow. "You want me to run for mayor?"

"Governor, boy, governor! Don't set your sights so low! But that's years away yet, don't worry about it just now." He reached over and patted Seto on the knee. "For now you just focus on finishing school and getting ready to follow in my footsteps with the family business. And of course, courting your little girlfriend and settling down with a Mrs. Kaiba of your own."

At this, Seth let out a choked cough that sounded suspiciously like a laugh. Gozaburo turned to him, heavy eyebrows furrowed. "Something funny, boy?"

"Oh no, Father, nothing at all." He grinned at Seto's warning glare, causing his brother to growl under his breath.

"Seth's got a _girlfriend_, too, Father, did you know?" Seto put in smoothly. "Well, he's working on it, at least. _She's_ rather… spunky."

"Spunky, eh?" Gozaburo echoed, cackling. "Well maybe you do have some sense after all, Seth. Your mother was like that; a real spitfire, that one. And that's putting it nicely…"

"I heard that." Before Seth could reply his mother had walked up behind him and cut in on the conversation. "Lunch is ready," she added, giving Gozaburo an indulgent smile.

"Wonderful!" The man boomed, rubbing his over-large belly as he stood and gestured for his sons to follow. "Come along boys, we'll finish this conversation at the dinner table."

The twins followed Gozaburo inside, through the spacious, hardwood entryway and down the hall, passing their father's lounge – in which the only furniture were two recliners, a plasma television and the various trophy deer heads that lined the walls – and their mother's sitting room – also filled with her "trophies;" pretty, frilly things she had crocheted and her collection of unicorn figurines – before they reached the dining room. The dining room had obviously been intended for nothing but that – dining – and the only piece of furniture in it was the eight-person, hand-crafted mahogany table in the center of the room, the picture window in one wall letting in a square of sunlight that landed on the carpet a few feet short of the food-laden table.

"It looks wonderful, Mama," the twins said simultaneously, sitting beside each other to the left of the table's head. Their mother sat across from them and Gozaburo took the seat at the head.

"Thank you dears," she beamed. "We have fried chicken, mashed potatoes, green beans, rolls, and cornbread, so you boys had better put some meat on your bones! And I made peach pie for dessert, so be sure to save room for that, too."

Seto glanced at Seth and rolled his eyes, but the two dutifully filled their plates and began eating. Their mother _was_ a good cook, even if the food tended to stick to their stomachs and make them sick later. But maybe any meal would make them sick after surviving mainly on coffee and ramen noodles the way they had since college.

Ten minutes later, after everyone had made a sizable dent in their food, Gozaburo spoke up again. "So, Seth, let's hear about this new girlfriend of yours."

The twins both choked on their food.

"Uhh…" Seth began. Seto coughed loudly to hide his laughter. "We're not… actually together yet… but… uh…"

Gozaburo narrowed his eyes. "She's not some tramp you're trying to hide from the family is she? Are you causing trouble again, boy?"

Seth growled but Seto stomped on his foot under the table, quickly cutting in. "No, Father, she's very pretty. And… ah… _spirited_. Seth's been chasing her for awhile but he's finally starting to wear her down. In fact, he told me he's going to call her tonight and finally ask her out. Isn't that right, Seth?"

Blue eyes widened in his tanned face as Seth stared at his twin brother in amazement. Seto was actually _defending_ him? Well, he supposed part of it was not wanting to lose face in front of their father, since Seth could easily give away his brother's secret; but still. It felt nice to think that Seto was on his side. "Uh… yeah, that's right, Seto."

Gozaburo sniffed. "Well I have no doubt she's pretty enough. Kaibas have always been known for their excellent taste, after all." Their mother rolled her eyes. "What about you, Seto? Are you getting serious with that girl of yours? You know your mother and I wouldn't mind seeing you settle down – a long engagement would be just the thing, set the wedding for when you graduate, that gives us plenty of time to plan the details and make sure all the right people are there…"

"We're not that serious," Seto muttered, staring at his plate as his ears reddened in embarrassment. "We've only been out on a few dates."

"Is that so?" Gozaburo let out a great, booming laugh. "Oh, it's one of _those_ relationships, then. You boys _are_ at the age to have fun. Enjoy yourself while you're young, I always say!"

"Hey, why is okay for _him_ and not for me?" Seth muttered under his breath. Seto shot him a look. "It's not like that, Father," Seth spoke up. "Yami's a nice… girl, and they're completely hung up on each other. Seto's just being shy." Seto's ears reddened even more at that and he glared at his brother, obviously not as thrilled with Seth's defense as Seth was with his.

"Yami, eh? Strange name. Is that Japanese? I thought you said she was a Southern girl."

"Oh she is, _very_ Southern." Seth smirked.

"Asian descent, then? That's wonderful, Seto! Those Japanese are always ambitious, can count on them to make lots of money. Not to mention good-looking women, too. Well I remember when…"

Seth and Seto shook their heads as their father went into a long rambling, monologue, the twins only half-listening as they turned their attention back to their lunch.

* * *

Atemu yawned loudly, not bothering to be respectful enough in front of his brother's presence to cover his mouth as he leaned over Yami's shoulder, peering at the current sketch he was working on. Crimson eyes blinked, trying to fight sleep as he studied the fine details that were just beginning to show on the white backdrop. He smiled, gently laying a hand on the desk, allowing himself to get a better view without disturbing his twin's concentration.

He had always loved to watch Yami paint or draw. The younger male had a real talent and just being able to sit back and watch as wordless emotions sprung to life on whatever his brother decided to use at that particular time. Pride was too weak of a word to describe how he felt toward Yami whenever he looked at a finished piece.

"Looks like home," Atemu whispered absentmindedly, not really realizing he was voicing his conclusion to what he was looking at.

The sound of the charcoal pencil stopped, similar ruby-colored eyes flicked in his direction. "Yeah, it is…or will be rather, once I'm done."

Atemu flinched, "Sorry, didn't mean to bother you."

A soft smile and Yami shook his head, laying the pencil down, turning in the chair to fully face his brother. "You didn't. Besides, this is personal, not schoolwork."

"Ah, so why are you…" A sudden ringing of the phone threw both the brothers off, each turning to look at the cellphone that had been tossed onto Yami's bed earlier that day. Being as he was the one already standing up, Atemu walked over to the bed, grabbed the phone, flipping it open only to scowl at the name 'Kaiba' on the caller ID.

"It's for you," he said as he tossed the phone to his brother before flopping back onto the bed, willing his mind to go someplace else so he wouldn't have to listen to the nauseating conversation that was sure to happen. He closed his eyes, letting out a breath only to yelp slightly when something hard landed on his stomach, bouncing lightly until it slipped off and onto the covers of the single bed.

"Actually, it's for you."

Furrowing his eyebrows, Atemu opened his eyes, sitting up and looking at his brother's amused smile with a bit of wariness. "Why the fuck would your _boyfriend_ want to talk to me?"

Yami's smile just grew, a strange look in his eyes that Atemu found rather disturbing, "Who said it was my boyfriend? There are two Kaibas you know." Chuckling a bit, Yami turned back around, picked up the charcoal and set out to work again while Atemu stared at the phone wondering whether or not he should pick it up. But curiosity won out. The idea that Seth could be on the other line sent some strange fluttering feeling down into his chest, and a rare smile on his lips – and hormones weren't the cause of it either.

"Hello?" he finally answered, mentally scowling at how _eager_ he sounded.

"_Hey Babe,"_ Damn fluttery feeling, _"How are you?"_

"Feeling a bit _nauseous_, but otherwise fine."

"_Oh? You aren't getting sick are you? Because I was really hoping you could accompany me to this Latino festival they are holding in town this coming weekend."_

Two butterflies turned into ten as Atemu stared, wide-eyed at the wall in front of him. "Latino Festival?" Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Yami once again had stopped what he was doing and had turned in his seat so he could watch.

"_Yeah, they hold it once a year, here in Atlanta. I've never been before…but then again, I didn't have a reason to until now either."_

Scratch that, there were fifty of those suckers fluttering about in his stomach and chest now. "This weekend?"

"_Yeah. So…?"_

Atemu swallowed, sparing a glance to his smiling brother. A date? No sex involved, just a simple outing…with talking, laughing, _getting to know each other_…he could do that…right? "Umm, sure."

"_Great, I'll pick you up at three on Saturday. Is that okay?"_

"Yeah, this Saturday at three."

"_K, see you in class tomorrow."_

Atemu continued to hold the phone to his ear even after the dial tone sounded. He blinked, turning his head to look at his expectant twin, his mind reworking over what he had just agreed to before he threw the phone to Yami, jumped off his bed and practically ran to the closet they both shared.

"What's wrong?" Yami asked, closing the phone and watching with wide eyes as his brother furiously rummaged through his clothes, throwing an odd assortment of jeans, shirts and leather pants over his shoulder onto the floor.

Atemu spun around, wide-eyed and slightly panicked looking, and threw his hands up into the air. "I have nothing to wear!"

The oddity of what his twin had just said sent Yami into a fit of laughter, the younger twin barely able to keep himself in his chair. "And who's acting like the girl now?"


	12. Chapter 12

**WARNING- LEMON**

**Chapter 12**

A yawn from his right made Seto Kaiba glance over, taking a brief moment to  
observe Yami's half-lidded red eyes and wild hair sticking out from over the  
numerous shopping bags he insisted on holding in his lap. Seto rolled his  
eyes but grinned a little and turned his attention back in the direction of  
the steering wheel. "Tired?"

"Yeah, a little," Yami replied, adjusting his grip as a bag threatened to  
slide out of his lap.

"You know, you could put those in the backseat," Seto observed dryly.

"No!" From the corner of his eye Seto watched the other grip the bags  
possessively. "I want to hold them!"

"Are you that happy to have new clothes?" Seto's lip curled in faint  
amusement.

"No, it's not that. I've… Well I never had any winter clothes before, and  
you bought them for me… I mean, you didn't have to but…"

"It's fine." Seto waved his hand dismissively. "I don't think I can stand  
any more shopping today, though."

"Me neither," Yami agreed. They had been shopping since early afternoon and  
by now it was nearly 8:00; they had only left the mall when Seto's feet had  
started to throb. He'd been surprised when he realized how late it had  
gotten – buying things for Yami felt unexpectedly good, and he was easy to  
please. The way his slim little arms clutched the bags in his lap was proof  
of that… and it was cute as hell.

"Are you hungry?" the brunet asked, smirking a little when Yami nodded. "Why  
don't we go back to my apartment instead of eating out again? I'll cook  
something."

"You can cook?"

Seto shrugged. "Not much. I can make some decent spaghetti though."

Yami laughed. "Spaghetti sounds great."

And that was how they ended up at Seto's apartment, Yami leaning over the  
kitchen's island counter on his elbows and unknowingly wiggling his butt in  
the air while Seto stirred noodles in a pot and tried not to get caught  
staring. Yami chattered away about his latest art project until the pasta  
started boiling and Seto announced it was ready. The smaller male gave him a  
bright smile and immediately jumped up and started opening random cabinet  
doors in search for plates – though when he finally found them they were on  
the top shelf and he had to stand on his tiptoes to reach them.

Seto, noticing his date's predicament, smirked to himself and walked over,  
wrapping an arm around Yami's waist and reaching out to stop his arm. He  
tangled his fingers in Yami's and pressed his lips against the shell of the  
other's ear. "You should let me do that," the brunet murmured, smirking  
wider when Yami shivered at the breath on his neck.

"I was just trying to help," Yami answered as levelly as possible, though he  
whimpered and flushed a delightful red when Seto spun him around and pressed  
close against him until Yami's back was digging into the counter.

"You can help me more like this," was Seto's response and Yami's only  
warning before the brunet's lips claimed his and they were kissing more  
fiercely than they ever had before.

One thing Seto had always liked about Yami was that despite his  
inexperience, he was incredibly enthusiastic, responding instantly and  
passionately to Seto's advances though he rarely made any of his own. This  
time was no exception, and barely thirty seconds into their kiss had Yami  
tangling his hands in chestnut hair and breaking their lip-lock only to  
nibble at Seto's lower lip and shower kisses along his jaw line and the  
sensitive spot just under his ear.

Seto groaned in pleasure and yanked harshly at the hem of Yami's long-sleeve  
black college t-shirt, Yami instantly getting the hint and lifting his arms  
so Seto could pull it off. Then, to the brunet's slight surprise, Yami  
hopped up and wrapped his legs around Seto's waist, halfheartedly tugging at  
the other's shirt as their lips met once again and Seto's fingers massaged  
Yami's rear through his tight jeans.

They broke apart several minutes later. "Continue this in the bedroom?" Seto  
panted.

Breathless, Yami nodded.

* * *

Hot, steamy water cascaded down smooth, richly tanned skin, soothing away  
the tiredness of Atemu's muscles as it rinsed away the foamy soap that he  
had applied. With his eyes closed, he leaned against the shower stall,  
letting his mind drift as he contemplated the events that had taken place  
just over the last week.

How he had survived the last five days was beyond him. Between his brother's  
constant nagging and teasing about his upcoming date with Seth, his and  
Bakura's strained friendship – which resorted in him finding another person  
to sit with in class - and the possibility of something more happening  
between him and the older Kaiba… he was one big bundle of raw nerves.

Yami's teasing he could handle – that was nothing new between them – but… he  
didn't realize how much he had grown to need Bakura as a friend until they  
were no longer on speaking terms. He missed the sarcastic banter, the mock  
insults, even the closeness they had. While he didn't see himself in a  
steady relationship with the white-haired sophomore, he still wanted the  
other around.

What he had said that day to Malik was true. He did love Bakura in some way;  
a strange emotion he didn't realize was really possible until he had come to  
the States. The older male had been – in a weird way – his first real friend  
outside of his own flesh and blood, and the sudden loss left an aching hole  
in him.

He had gotten so used to being alone… a numbness that seemed almost second  
nature now. Atemu poured all his love and devotion into his twin, the one  
person that continued to stick beside him even when he knew he was downright  
impossible to deal with ninety-five percent of the time.

With a sigh, he removed himself from under the spray of water before  
shutting it off. Grabbing the white towel off of the hanger, he began to dry  
his body, scrubbing harder than necessary to remove the water that lingered  
on him. Wrapping it around his waist, he left his hair alone, letting it  
hang freely. As he opened the bathroom door, he heard a knock, his eyebrows  
furrowing as he wondered who it could be. Yami had left sometime ago with  
that younger cocksucker of a Kaiba and his Kaiba – he wrinkled his nose –  
wasn't supposed to be here for another hour… who the hell?

Shrugging his shoulders, he walked over to the door and opened it. Closing  
his eyes with a sigh, Atemu stepped aside and let Bakura in. "Why?" was all  
he asked as he shut the door.

Bakura's eyes lingered on Atemu's face, his mouth drawn into a taut line  
before his gaze wandered down the partially nude body. "You know, if you  
don't want me coming on to you, you should at least make an effort not to  
look like that in front of me."

Crimson eyes rolled and he crossed his arms across his chest in a defiant  
motion. "I wasn't expecting company. Maybe if you had called, I would have  
known to put my clothes on."

"Would you have answered if I had called?"

Shrugging his shoulders, Atemu looked away, not wanting to face his ex-lover  
anymore. "I don't know. Maybe?"

They stood there in silence for several minutes before Bakura let out a long  
breath and spoke. "Hit me. It will make you feel better."

Atemu's head whipped around, his eyes wide as he looked at the white-haired  
male incredulously, "¿Cómo?"

"I'm guessing that was a 'what'. Anyway, I said, 'hit me, it will make you  
feel better'."

"Can I use a baseball bat?"

"Atemu!" Bakura screamed in frustration, "I'm trying to apologize here!"

"And I'm trying to accept it!"

"With a baseball bat?"

"Yes." Atemu threw Bakura a smirk before he walked over to the closet and  
began to rummage around looking for the outfit he had picked out earlier in  
the week. "Kura – am I still allowed to call you that?" Hearing an amused  
snort, Atemu continued. "Do you even know what you are apologizing for?"

"Sure I do. I was an ass. I shouldn't have come on to you that night."

"And?"

"…And I shouldn't have said those things."

"And?"

"Damn it!" Bakura stalked up to the Latino, his face just barely inches from  
the other. "What else do you want me to say? Huh? That I miss you? Fine! I  
miss you. I miss talking to you, making fun of others with you, hanging out,  
being partners in class…."

Crimson eyes gazed hard into Bakura's eyes, searching for the truth. "So,  
you miss me and not the sex?"

The sophomore sighed, his shoulders shagging, "Yes, I miss my best friend.  
And… I'm sorry."

Atemu nodded his head, relief flooding him down to his soul. "Well then,  
looks like we're going to partner up again, aren't we?"

"Yeah, the sex was great, fan-fucking-tasic!"

Laughing, Atemu punched Bakura in the shoulder, taking satisfaction in the  
grunt of pain he heard. "That's not what I meant, hijo de puta. And you know  
it!"

* * *

When Seto started walking toward his bedroom, shedding the red and white  
striped Duck Head shirt he wore unbuttoned over his red crew neck  
undershirt, Yami at first was hesitant to follow. The brunet noticed when he  
reached the hallway and Yami still stood in the living room, hugging his  
bare torso and biting his lip. And he'd been so excited a second ago, too…  
Things would probably go more smoothly if he kept Yami worked up, Seto  
decided, nodding to himself, and put on a reassuring smile before walking  
back over to Yami.

He didn't give the other a chance to complain before his lips covered Yami's  
again and a hand ran smoothly down his chest to unbutton the smaller male's  
jeans. Yami made a soft sound in the back of his throat, half protest, half  
groan of pleasure, but whatever it was Seto's tongue caught it before it  
could develop and neatly distracted the spiky-haired freshman from the hand  
groping down the front of his pants and tugging him slowly down the hall  
toward Seto's bedroom.

Yami's arms were smoothing down Seto's shoulders, catching the hem of his  
shirt and sliding under it and out again, burning hot where the eager but  
slightly timid fingers stroked and freezing cold once they had gone. The  
sophomore felt goosebumps rise all over his arms and he abandoned slow  
seduction and picked Yami up, carrying him to his room and tossing him on  
the bed, where he landed on his back with a delighted laugh and smiled up at  
Seto.

The brunet took a moment just to look at Yami, really look, at the small,  
slender body stretched out atop his bed, wearing only a pair of unbuttoned  
jeans and a sweet smile. His wild hair splayed out stark red against the  
dark green sheets, and his incredible crimson eyes were half-lidded and  
glazed over with desire.

Seto'd never been with anybody half as beautiful.

"Seto?" Yami questioned after a moment, his smile slipping as he shifted  
uncomfortably. "Why are you staring at me?"

"No reason," the other responded, and the strange moment was broken,  
replaced with the carefully meditated desire from before as Seto leaned over  
Yami and began kissing his neck, before moving down to bestow wet kisses on  
his chest and nipples and slowly working Yami into a frenzy as he removed  
the smaller male's unbuttoned pants.

Tight black boxer-briefs soon followed and Yami was naked before him,  
writhing and panting and moaning as Seto's mouth kept working him. He tried  
to say something that sounded like Seto's name, but when it came out as a  
mixture between a hiss and a garbled moan Seto decided he was ready. He  
flipped Yami over on his stomach and quickly stripped the rest of his own  
clothes before reaching into the nightstand beside his bed for a bottle of  
lubricant.

When he glanced back at Yami the other had rolled back over onto his back  
and was watching him in confusion, breathing harshly. "What… what is that?"

"Shh." Seto kissed him and pushed him back onto his stomach, pulling Yami up  
so he was on his hands and knees before walking behind him and grabbing him  
by the hips.

Yami jumped at the touch. "Seto? What are you doing?"

The brunet heard a trace of fear in the question so he let his hands roam up  
and down Yami's back, massaging him softly until he calmed somewhat. "This  
is your first time, isn't it? Don't worry, this just makes it easier." He  
reached down and stroked Yami's erection as he squirted the cold liquid  
liberally on Yami's backside, hoping to distract the smaller male a little.

Obviously it didn't work, because Yami jumped and squirmed to get away from  
Seto's firm grip on his hips. "Ahh!"

"Shh, what's wrong, baby?"

Either the endearment or Seto's caressing fingers served to calm Yami once  
again because he quit squirming, though his breath came out in ragged pants  
as he propped his forehead on his folded arms. "You… had that stuff by your  
bed? Were you… planning this?"

Seto rolled his eyes. He'd only wanted this since the moment they met… "It's  
massage oil," he lied smoothly. "It helps to rub it in my muscles when they  
get tense."

Yami seemed reassured, so Seto squirted more lubricant in his hand and  
probed one finger inside the smaller male, making sure to stroke the other's  
erection meanwhile to keep him distracted. Yami hissed, squirming a bit more  
at the sensation. "Seto… that feels weird…" he mumbled.

"Does it hurt?"

"No." A whisper.

"Good." Seto wriggled another finger inside, soon followed by a third,  
stretching Yami as quickly as possible before pouring even more lubricant  
onto his own erection and, placing the head at Yami's entrance, slowly began  
pushing inside.

When Yami realized what Seto was doing he started thrashing, struggling  
wildly against the hands that gripped his hips with near-bruising force.  
"No! Seto, wait! Stop it! I wanted to see your face! I need to see your  
face! Don't do it like this… AH!"

But it was too late, Seto was already sheathed completely inside him,  
struggling to breathe normally in spite of the crushing pleasure and to let  
Yami adjust. "Shh," he murmured, leaning over Yami's back and brushing his  
bangs from his eyes. "It'll hurt less this way."

"But…" Yami looked doubtful, so Seto gave an experimental thrust and watched  
the fear slide from the other's face to be replaced with surprised pleasure.  
"Oh…" Yami shifted underneath him as Seto gave a more forceful thrust, and  
this time he must have hit the magic spot because the moan Yami let out was  
just short of a scream.

Taking this as a good sign, Seto grinned and began moving in earnest,  
groaning in satisfaction at the sight of the slender little body beneath him  
beginning to respond and match him thrust for thrust. Yami gasped and  
panted, letting out the most delightful yelps whenever Seto hit his  
prostate, and soon the brunet was pounding away with all he had, stroking  
Yami's erection intermittently just to watch him beg and wriggle underneath  
him.

They kept up the rhythm for several minutes, though Seto couldn't say how  
long it lasted since he lost all sense of time in the onslaught of  
sensation, of Yami's gasps and pants and the sweet crushing heat, until the  
wild-haired male came harshly in Seto's hand, bucking and arching his back  
as he did so and nearly breaking free of Seto's hold. The brunet managed to  
last a minute or so longer, until he finally came with a shuddering sigh,  
inside the body that now hung limp and exhausted under his fingers.

Hissing, Seto pulled out and let go of Yami, falling on his back on the bed  
and allowing the freshman to roll over and curl up against his side. He  
wrapped an arm around Yami's shoulders as the other blinked up at him with  
solemn scarlet eyes. "So, was it good for you?" Yami asked.

Taken aback, the brunet made a face and Yami burst out laughing. "Sorry, I  
had to say it."

Seto snorted and closed his eyes. Leave it to Yami to be so corny… but at  
the same time he was strangely endearing. And so hot. Seto definitely  
wouldn't mind doing this again, not if every time with Yami felt like that.  
"Let's rest for a bit, then I'll take you back to your dorm. Wouldn't want  
your brother to freak out on me…" Seto mumbled.

They lay there a moment, and just when Seto was about to drift off he heard  
Yami's soft voice murmur against his chest, "I love you…"

He waited until Yami fell asleep to open his eyes.

* * *

"Ok, rule number one."

"On how to be a true Southerner?"

"Yes. Now, you must own a truck and not just any truck. It has to be a  
Dodge, Chevy or Ford, preferably the latter two. Those others are foreigners  
and we in the South just don't do anything 'un-American.'"

Atemu quirked an eyebrow. "Where does that leave me then?"

Seth just smirked as he wrapped an arm around the Latino's shoulders,  
casually steering him through the crowded street as they headed for an empty  
bench. "Lucky for you, I'm not one for following the rules."

"And I bet it doesn't hurt that you're not a 'true Southerner' either huh?  
Seeing as how you drive an SUV."

"That too. Now what you must know – and this is rule number 3 – is that  
trucks can only be driven a certain way." Seth released Atemu's shoulders  
and took his plate of gallo pinto – fried rice and black beans - that they had  
purchased earlier and sat iton the edge before he took a seat on the bench  
beside his date. "You must drive with one of your hands on the top of the  
steering wheel at all times."

Atemu hummed appreciatively as he savored the bite of beef. It had been way  
too long since he had tasted the addicting flavor of his homeland. "Why?"

"Ah, well you see, since your hand is at the top, it's easy for you to wave  
at every single truck that passes you as you drive. It's like some unwritten  
law or something. Pickup truck owners are like the 'good ol' boys' and they  
have their own little clan or something. I personally think it's like a  
secret handshake, passed down from generation to generation."

Atemu blinked and his plastic forked stopped midway to his mouth as he  
stared at Seth. "You people are weird."

The sophomore just shrugged his shoulders and gave the other male a cheeky  
grin. "We're in our own little world down here. You won't find any other  
place like the South. And we like it for the most part. Now… if we could  
just keep the foreign riff-raff from crossing…."

Atemu puffed up, his eyes narrowing even as he smiled. "Look who asked who  
out on a date. And to a Latino festival no less. That's foreign, in case you  
forgot."

Nodding his head in assent, Seth sat back and started eating his meal, a  
peaceful atmosphere surrounding them even though the upbeat Latin music and  
swarms of people were everywhere. Azure eyes stole glances every now and  
then to the smaller male, taking in his appearance all over again, as if he  
couldn't get enough of the exotic sight.

Now that fall had arrived, Atemu had taken to dressing a bit warmer by  
wearing a long-sleeved gray t-shirt and low cut jeans. Every so often, as  
the cuff of his sleeve rose up his arm, Seth could see a black leather  
wristband peek out from the material. Atemu wasn't dressed up, but was very  
casual and it fit him well.

His own food now forgotten, along with the proper name of the dish that  
Atemu had so graciously made fun of his for trying to pronounce right, he  
was content to watch crimson eyes close in some sort of bliss with every  
bite he took. "Do you and Yami get the chance to cook anything from your  
home?" he asked, curious as to the other's background, something they hadn't  
touched on yet.

Atemu shook his head, his eyes gazing off into the crowd of moving people of  
various nationalities. "No, there is no way to cook in the dorm and most  
places around here serve Mexican. Taco Bell is not anything close to what we  
are used to."

"Do you miss it at all?" When Atemu sighed and sat his plate down beside  
him, Seth frowned. Guess he shouldn't have brought that of all things up.  
But still, he wanted to get to know the other man, every aspect, so he had  
to start somewhere.

"Not really. I mean some things I miss like the land, the villages…but  
others not so much. Besides, I have everything I need here in Atlanta."

"Your brother?"

Atemu nodded his head, a faint smile playing on his lips, "And Bakura and  
even Malik." A scowl played across Seth's face at the mention of the  
white-haired sophomore, causing Atemu to chuckle. "He was only messing with  
you, you know."

"Threatening me within an inch of my life if I hurt you and then kissing you  
– on the lips I might add – before he left is not what I call 'only messing'  
with me."

Atemu just smiled as he leaned closer to the taller man, crimson eyes  
playful. "Jealous?"

Licking his lips, Seth leaned in closer also, their eyes locked on each  
other to the point that everything else around them disappeared. "Yes. For a  
while now."

Atemu just rolled his eyes and turned away, effectively breaking the mood  
quickly enough that it left Seth blinking and mouth agape. "Don't tell me  
you started falling for me when I kissed you that day out in the hallway."

"Yes, but not because of that. But because of what happened before, in the  
classroom. No one has ever bested me or stood up to me. My name alone  
usually scares most people away."

Snorting and crossing his arms, Atemu radiated 'foul mood,' at which Seth  
quirked an eyebrow, only to frown when the other spoke. "A name is nothing.  
It means nothing. And unfortunately it links you with others bearing the  
same name."

"But Yami…"

"My brother did not give me my last name now did he?"

"Oh." Seth sat there, stunned at the turn of events and mood. He had known  
since their oh-so-wonderful double date that Atemu had some issues with  
blood but until now he hadn't realized who he had meant. "I take it you and  
your parents don't get along?"

"They would have to have been around to even 'not get along'," Atemu spat  
and stood up, forgetting about his abandoned plate lying on the bench seat.  
Seth watched him for a spilt second before he followed, his longer stride  
allowing him to catch up with the smaller male quickly.

"I'm sorry," he stated as he and Atemu made their way back through the  
crowd, noticing that Atemu was heading them back in the direction of the  
entrance to the festival. "I didn't mean…."

"What the hell are you sorry for?" Atemu stopped and spun around, catching  
Seth off guard to the point he almost ran into him. Anger, hurt, betrayal  
swirled in the Latino's eyes. "You weren't the one that forgot about the  
other twin. You weren't the one that decided that since the other one was  
strong he didn't need anyone or anything other than the basics. You weren't  
the one that thought the prediction of volcanos' eruptions were more  
important than the two kids you had had."

Atemu's shoulders heaved as his lungs struggled to pull air into his body.  
Seth reached a hand out, wanting to give some comfort but Atemu just brushed  
it off and started walking again, his words now more than a whisper but Seth  
heard him nevertheless as they walked side by side.

"Do you know that it was I who had to take care of Yami since we were six?  
We were left alone in some primitive village most of the time while they  
researched." Atemu laughed suddenly, a bitter sound that upset Seth. "Can  
you imagine two twins, both with red eyes and weird hair surrounded by some  
of the most superstitious, primitive people you have ever seen?" Atemu shook  
his head, "Anyway, they never cared at least not for me; Yami maybe, in the  
beginning at least, but never…"

Atemu trailed off, shoving his hands in the pockets of his jeans, his eyes  
calm but distant as they continued to walk, the festival now behind them.  
Seth was quiet, not really sure as to what to say. Mentally, he snorted. And  
here he thought that he and Seto had it bad with an asshole for a father.  
Sure, Gozaburo was a bastard, but his mom, well she had done her best and  
had loved them both – equally.

A quiet 'I'm sorry' broke through his musings and he turned his head to see  
Atemu's head lowered, watching the sidewalk intently as it moved beneath  
their feet.

"Don't worry about it. I was the one who brought the whole…"

Atemu cut him off. "I shouldn't have opened my mouth. It's not your problem  
anyway."

Seth's hand darted out, catching Atemu's elbow, stopping them both. Gently  
he turned the smaller male around so they were facing each other and Seth  
lowered his own head so he could look Atemu directly in the eye. "Rule  
number one. Your problems are my problems. If something hurts you, then I  
want to know, share and help you with it any way I can. Even if it's nothing  
but being a sounding board or a punching bag, or whatever else you need at  
the time."

Confusion was clear on Atemu's face, something Seth found completely  
adorable. "Rule number one? Didn't we already go over that one? And what the  
fuck does that have to do with the South?"

Seth smiled, running his hand down the other's arm, linking their fingers  
together. "It doesn't. That's the first rule of a good relationship."


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

When the first rays of sunlight not blocked by partially-closed blinds fell directly on Yami's eyes and slowly nudged him awake, he became aware of three things at once, the first being that he felt uncomfortably sore from his waist to his thighs, the second that Atemu was sitting on his bed and staring at him, and the third that he really needed to pee. The third was by far the least important, though it bothered him more than the other two less common occurrences.

"Go away, Atemu, it's too early in the morning," he grumbled.

Atemu, however, merely continued to stare at him in a distracted sort of way, an indiscernible expression twisting his lips. "Yami, do you miss Costa Rica?"

"Huh?" Yami started to sit up at that, but fell back onto his back when sparks of pain shot from his backside. He quickly threw an arm over his eyes and yawned so that the other would think he was just tired and not ask embarrassing questions. "Um… yes, I miss it. It's home, you know? And Atlanta is beautiful but nothing compared to the places we used to live. But… If you're asking whether I miss our parents, then… not really. Atemu, _you're_ my family. Pretty much my whole family. You know I love you, right?"

Atemu didn't answer for a moment, so Yami peeked out from under his arm to see his brother staring at his lap, a tiny smile stretching his lips. "Atemu?" he questioned.

The other blinked; then glanced in his direction once more. "Oh… Yes, I know that, Mocoso." He was still smiling.

Yami looked at his brother for a few seconds before understanding dawned and he grinned, sitting up on his elbows. "The date went well, didn't it?"

Atemu looked steadily away and mumbled, "Depends on what you mean by 'well.'"

Curiosity peaked, Yami sat up completely, sighing quietly in relief when he managed to do so with only slight discomfort. "You know… no fights, no awkward silences or anything like that. Did you get along?"

"I…" Atemu seemed to think it over. "I think we did. But… I may have ruined the mood or something… Yami, I told him about our parents."

"You did?" Yami's eyes widened. "But you never talk about them. You hate talking about our past, even with me."

"I know!" The older twin frowned and continued in a barely audible mutter, "I know. Something about that stupid Kaiba just makes me want to say stupid things."

Yami laughed and reached over to hug his brother, which seemed to startle Atemu though he quickly adjusted and responded with a weak smile and a pat on the arms wrapped around his shoulders. "I think he's good for you," Yami decided. "It's good that you can open up to him like that."

"He said something like that, too," Atemu mumbled; then, frowning a little, added, "I don't think he's attracted to me, though. Or – well, it seemed like he was, at first, but… not anymore…"

"Why would you think _that_?" Yami asked, raising an eyebrow. "He's constantly drooling over you – Seto told me that."

Atemu snorted at the mention of his brother's boyfriend. "I don't know; it was different before. Then we went out yesterday and… nothing. We just talked. Not even a goodbye kiss. I guess I could have kissed him but… I didn't want him to think I was… you know… a _whore_." He hung his head.

"Don't ever say that!" Yami snarled. "You're not _that_. You're _not_."

"Yami…"

"You're _not_, Atemu." He hugged his brother tighter. "I'm sure Seth likes you just fine. He probably wants to take things slow so you know he… I don't know… won't take advantage of you or anything."

"Yeah… Maybe." Atemu slid out of his brother's grasp and stood, stretching. "I'm hungry. Want to come to breakfast with me?"

"No thanks. Bring me something back?"

Atemu nodded and left, and Yami crawled out of bed and headed toward the bathroom to stretch until he could walk without limping.

* * *

Seth found himself up early as usual Sunday morning, once again sitting out on the balcony of his shared apartment, but this time he was thankfully alone. Seto for some strange reason was still asleep at 7:00am, but at the moment the older Kaiba wasn't going to complain. With nothing but a few lazy cars and birds, the morning – despite the chill – was perfect for thinking. 

Closing his eyes, he leaned back in the chair and propped his sock-clad feet on the railing and smiled wistfully. Yesterday had been pleasant… a little shaky at first, but still pleasant. It hadn't been hard to pick up on the nervousness in Atemu's body or voice when he had first arrived. Now that he thought about it, he supposed Bakura had noticed as well and decided to help "break the ice," so to speak, with that little kiss. At least he _hoped_ that was what it was. Bakura did have a peculiar soft look in his eyes when he noticed Atemu wringing his hands together like he didn't know what to do with himself.

Either way, it worked up until the Latino had his little 'explosion' at the festival. But Seth had let him say whatever it was he needed to say – or yell – since he had been curious about the other's life and could tell Atemu needed to vent even if just a little.

But… after that, everything was fine again. They didn't go back to the festival; instead, Seth took him on a small tour of the city, letting Atemu see sights he had only heard about from his classmates such as Georgia Dome, the botanical gardens, and so on.

Seth couldn't help but be intrigued by the innocent curiosity Atemu showed about everything… his constant questions and wide-eyed expressions upon seeing things that he himself had grown so accustomed to that he didn't even notice anymore.

It was adorable and Seth was just drawn deeper than he already was…

"Damn sun."

Seth rolled his eyes behind his lids. "Good morning to you too, little brother."

Seto chose to ignore the so-called greeting and pulled the other chair away from the small table and mimicked his twin's seating arrangement. "Out here basking in the afterglow of a good fuck?"

Seth snarled, his hand curling into a fist. But he wouldn't hit his brother just yet…

"What? Was that a no?" Seth could hear Seto's chair scraping against the concrete and he finally opened his eyes and turned his head, getting a good look at that god-awful smirk. "You mean you couldn't even get laid by the school slut?"

Seth was out of his chair in a flash, knocking it over with a clang, and had his hand curled around Seto's neck before the other knew it. "Do not," he growled as he squeezed his fingers just a little tighter, "_ever_ speak of Atemu that way again, you hear me?" But Seto didn't reply, just smiled smugly despite the pressure he felt.

With a frustrated cry, Seth released his brother, looking him square in the eye. "Yami doesn't deserve you."

"Maybe," Seto replied as he got up from his chair and walked to the sliding glass door, "But I got what I deserved," he pulled it open and with one last smug look, he left Seth standing there as he went inside.

* * *

"Is there a reason why you're wearing all black?" 

"We're sneaking around! What else was I supposed to wear? Bright neon pink?"

"Might as well," Bakura grumbled as they turned another corner and headed down the long hallway of their dorm. "I mean, first off, the lights are all on, making black noticeable. Second, most people wanting to sneak in around places don't wear shiny gold belly chains and hoodies with their stomachs showing. Third and most important there is no curfew here and it's swarming with students!"

Malik pouted as he fished another eight-by-ten photo out of his hand and handed it to Bakura. "What's wrong with looking good while on a mission?"

Rolling his eyes, Bakura took the photo and a tack from the little plastic container and stuck the picture to the wall beside the entrance to the staircase. "This isn't Ocean's Eleven or Mission Impossible or any other Hollywood production. This is simply us having some fun at the Kaibas' expense."

Stepping back, Bakura had to grin at the blown-up image of Seth clutching his balls after that nice innocent smack he received by Atemu's club. Personally, it was his favorite out of all the pictures Malik took that night.

"Wonder how their date went?"

"Who cares?"

"I do," Malik replied as they continued down the hall to the snack machine. Holding another image, this time one of when Bakura had thrown the ball at Seto, to the Plexiglas, he waited for the other to pull out some tape from his pocket. "They're my friends and Yami said Atemu was excited."

"Doesn't matter," Bakura mumbled as they left the machine and searched for another popular area to post the next picture. "They won't last long. Seth ain't Atemu's type and the only thing those Kaibas are good for is sex and money… and I still have my doubts on the first one."

"Well, Yami and Seto seem to be getting along fine." Malik handed the last picture to Bakura and stood back, watching the white-haired man post it on the doors to the main entrance. "So one of the Kaibas must be doing something right."

Snorting, Bakura stepped back, admiring his work and grinning smugly at the thoughts of everyone seeing these by the start of the school day. "Seth's a jerk, he can't do anything right."

There was a long pause that the sophomore didn't seem to notice before Malik spoke again. "I was talking about Seto, not Seth."

"Oh?" Turning around, he shrugged his shoulders. "Same difference." Pocketing the tape and tacks, Bakura walked over to Malik and threw his arm around the slightly smaller male's shoulders. "Let's go back to your place… it's cleaner than mine."

Lavender eyes looked over at him, his gaze unreadable. "Sure, I guess."

Bakura's arm slid down from its perch, his hand casually running down Malik's toned back till his fingers grasped a hold of the gold chain that was wrapped around his waist. With a smirk, Bakura leaned in and began placing kisses along Malik's tanned neck. "I think I might have a better use for this," he whispered, his heated breath sending cold chills down Malik's back, "than for decoration."

Malik didn't respond as they rounded the last corner and he quickly fished his keys from his black pants. When he pushed open the door Bakura slid around him, tugging teasingly on his belly-chain and planting another wet kiss on the underside of Malik's jaw before he let go and plopped onto the blond's futon, his arms resting along the back and his legs sprawled open onto the floor. "Got anything to drink? I'm parched."

Malik frowned a little but shut the door behind him and moved to the mini-fridge on top of his dresser. "All I have is caffeine-free Diet Dr. Pepper," he said, checking the contents.

"Yuck. Alright then, give it here."

Malik handed him the drink and sat down beside him, staring straight ahead and fiddling with his belly-chain, seemingly lost in thought. Bakura watched him out of the corner of his eye until that got boring and he elbowed the other in the side. "Ow! What was that for?" Malik whined.

"Whatcha thinking about?"

"Nothing." He was silent for a moment. Then, "Kura, is Atemu better looking than me?"

The sophomore rolled his eyes. "Bubbles, you rock my world."

"Oh, ok." Malik looked a little happier – but then he frowned. "Hey wait! You didn't answer my question!"

Bakura sighed and set his half-empty can of soda on the floor beside him before closing the distance between him and Malik and dragging the blond into his arms, depositing small kisses along the underside of the other's jaw in just the place he knew would make him shiver before he finally answered. "Malik, you are the most gorgeous, sexy being on the planet. If anyone was ever hotter than you it would defy the laws of nature and the universe would implode, or something horrible like that."

"Well you don't have to be sarcastic," Malik sulked – but tilted his head so Bakura would have better access to his throat.

"What? I was one hundred percent serious!" Bakura's hands found the hemline of Malik's shirt and tugged upward, until the fabric caught and bunched under the other's armpits.

"Uh huh." Malik raised his arms and let Bakura take off his shirt, though he whimpered and tangled his fingers in the other's long white hair when Bakura started chewing on his chest. "Ow! That kinda hurts…"

"Nah, it's fun." Bakura jerked at the belly-chain again and pulled Malik closer for better access to his chest.

"Maybe from that end," Malik returned, but he couldn't help chuckling, and the fingers that gripped Bakura's hair loosened to trail through the long strands. "Bakura?"

"Mmm."

"How many dates have we been on?"

"Dunno, Bubbles… One?" He swirled his tongue around the other's nipple, making Malik hiss.

"Could this count? As a date, I mean."

"Sure, baby." Bakura sat up enough to catch the other's lips in a drawn-out kiss that left them both panting; then, at a motion from Malik, sat back against the futon and let the blond crawl in his lap. Malik straddled him and kissed him once more before leaning back, his hands on Bakura's shoulders, and meeting the other's – slightly glazed over – eyes.

"What about the day you came over, before we went to Six Flags? Could that count? And the time we followed the twins on their double date… you kissed me then…"

"Uh… Sure, Bubbles. Why does it matter?"

"So, technically, this could be our fourth date? That's what you're saying then?"

"Um…" Bakura blinked in confusion at the determined expression in Malik's eyes, but shrugged and decided to go with it. "…Yes?"

"Good. Then I wouldn't be a total slut or moving too fast if I wanted to… do a little more, then?" As he spoke, Malik's fingers deftly undid Bakura's belt and the button of his jeans. "Would I?" he pressed, sliding down the zipper.

"Oh, hell yes!" Bakura moaned, dropping his head back and closing his eyes, only for them to snap open when Malik's hand stilled and he realized his mistake. "No! I mean no! Of course not! This is the absolute most perfect time, not too fast, not at all!"

"Good." Malik leaned forward and kissed Bakura a third time as his fingers dipped inside the other's pants and found what they were looking for. "I know this matters to you, Bakura," Malik breathed. "And," his fingers gave a particularly sharp twist and Bakura gasped, clutching at the blond's shoulders, "I want you to be happy with me."

"Malik! Aah!" The other's hand continued to move, while at the same time Malik kissed and sucked at Bakura's throat in a teasingly similar manner to what Bakura had done to him a few moments before, until after an embarrassingly short amount of time he came all over Malik's hand and his stupid black pants and belly chain.

"Ugh." Malik made a face and wiped the rest of the mess on his pants, but then shot Bakura a saucy grin. "Good?"

"Yeah."

"Happy?"

Bakura smiled. "Of course."

* * *

**Dragon:** Now, while I love all the praise I've been getting for this story… please do not forget that I am not the only one writing this. **Pysche** is my co-writer and we share this story fifty-fifty so make sure you send her some well-deserved praise too! 


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